Bad Things Happen
by lurkingwhump
Summary: A collection of one-shot stories based on my Bad Things Happen Bingo card on Tumblr. Timeline generally from late s2 onwards. Jeller.
1. Beaten and Bruised

A/N: These fics are are based on my Bad Things Happen Bingo card I have on Tumblr. If you doin't know what BTHB is, go check them on Tumblr. This is the first bingo prompt fic I wrote and it is for the **prompt "black eye**" as requested by **kate-dammit-run .** Turned out more fluffy than I thought, but hey, the characters have their own mind sometimes.

Finally, don't own anything, I'm just a fan having fun. All rights belong to Martin Gero & co.

* * *

**Beaten and Bruised**

They had been tracking a gang suspected of a string of nighttime jewelry heists. As luck would have it, one of the members of the gang happened to be the mayor's son, and there were suspected links to organized crime so the case landed with the FBI. They had traced the movements of the gang to their hideout and executed the warrant. A scuffle ensued and the members were taken into custody, but not before one of them managed to land a few punches on Jane. The man was twice her size. He wasn't very fast but he did have strength. Jane had blocked his punch to her stomach, but he had been able to land a nasty blow to her head as she blocked the other punch. As Jane was momentarily disoriented, the man had managed to circle around and land a vicious punch to her kidneys, causing her almost to fall to her knees from the pain. She was still able to elbow the man in the jaw as he approached her from behind, and that hit was enough to bring him down, so that they could arrest him.

Jane heard the man complain about police brutality as they were leading him and the other suspects away, but he quieted quickly when Kurt had stepped over to him and told him something that Jane couldn't hear from where she was standing. She gingerly felt around her skull, already feeling a slight bump forming on her forehead. He'd landed a good blow there; she felt the beginnings of a headache appearing and heard the air whooshing unusually loud in her ears.

"Hey, are you okay?" She heard Kurt ask her in a concerned tone. Lifting her head and seeing him approach, she saw the worry in his eyes as looked her over for other injuries.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jane reassured him. "Got a blow to the head, but that's not the first time."

She felt his fingers trace her jaw and lift her chin gently. "What? Let me see." She saw the worry in his eyes as he lightly ran his fingers over her forehead and cheek.

Despite Kurt's careful manner, she couldn't suppress a wince as he touched her cheekbone.

He quickly withdrew his hand, giving her an apologetic look. " Sorry. Your eyesight okay? Any double vision or anything? You have quite the shiner forming under your eye."

She could only smile at his concern, knowing how he worried every time she got knocked around a bit. "My eyesight is fine, Kurt. I'll be okay," she soothed him, taking his hand and caressing it.

Kurt slid his arm around her back. "Come on, let's have the medics check you out."

Jane stopped and turned and placed a hand on his chest softly, looking into his eyes. "Kurt, I'm fine."

He gave her a look that was a mix between concerned and plaintive and let out a frustrated sound before speaking. "Jane…please. You're going to need to ice the eye at least. Hmm?"

She knew she couldn't say no to him when he gave her that kicked puppy-look and she caved. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

A couple of hours later Jane was sitting in the NYO locker room and holding a cold pack over her eye and face. The paramedic had told her to ice the injury every couple of hours to reduce the swelling. They had just finished interrogating the suspects and decided to call it a day. Her head was pounding despite the ibuprofen the paramedic had given her. Tossing the cold pack in the garbage, she walked to her locker and opened it. She was rummaging for her jacket and keys when she found herself engulfed in Kurt's embrace.

He placed a small kiss to her neck and murmured "You okay?"

"Yeah," was her subdued reply. She turned in his arms and lay her head on his chest, enjoying his warmth and silent comfort for a moment before speaking. "Can we go home?"

Kurt kissed her forehead softly. "Yeah, we can. Come on."

After getting home, Jane went to take a shower while Kurt fixed them a quick bite to eat. The shower felt good, but she was achy all over. Her back was hurting where the kidney punch had landed, and her head was still pounding. The medic had said she had a mild concussion, so that might explain it. Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, she inspected the black eye now adorning her face. _"Well, at least the swelling isn't too bad."_

They ate while sitting comfortably on the couch, with the news playing in the background. Jane saw the worry in Kurt's eyes as he looked at her. He must have noticed her discomfort since he soon reached out and lay his hand on her knee comfortingly.

"How's the headache?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"It's a little better. I just took another painkiller," she told him candidly. "I just want to get some sleep."

He nodded and gave her a loving look. "Go to bed. I'll just put these away," he said, gesturing to their empty plates, "and then I'll take a quick shower."

Jane nodded and went to wash her teeth as Kurt went to clear away the plates.

She was lying on her back with her eyes closed as she heard Kurt turn off the lights before crawling in beside her.

"You feeling any better?"

"Yeah, the painkiller is starting to kick in," she replied from behind closed eyes. Next, she felt his featherlight touch as he gingerly traced the bruise under her eye with his fingertips.

"Is this okay?" he asked softly as he traced his fingers on her face.

Jane nodded, too exhausted to speak.

"The swelling doesn't look too bad. The shiner will go away in a few days" he whispered, before pressing a barely-there kiss to her cheek."

"Come here." Kurt slid his hand under her and carefully pulled Jane against his chest. She felt sleep creeping ever closer as his fingers caressed her back softly, his loving touch chasing away the ache in her lower back. She sighed contentedly against him, feeling safe in his arms.

"Good night," she mumbled sleepily.

"Good night, Jane."


	2. Even the Strongest

A/N: OK, so I got an anonymous request for my BTHB y card prompt with Jeller. The prompt is **Stomach flu. **Comments feed my muse :) .

* * *

**Even the Strongest**

Jane felt terrible as her stomach rebelled, and she held onto the toilet bowl, retching the remains of her lunch into the toilet. It was the second time she had vomited in as many hours. She had felt slightly ill all day and had come home earlier, after Patterson had worriedly commented she looked pale and asked if she was alright. Kurt had offered to drive her home, but she told him she was fine taking the subway and he should finish the paperwork he was toiling with.

That had been three hours ago. As she got home, she had just changed into a pair of comfortable sweats and a tank top, when the first wave of nausea hit. After vomiting, she had felt slightly better for a little while, but the queasiness remained. She had rinsed her mouth out and padded into the kitchen, trying to distract herself with the day's New York Times. Her mistake had been trying to eat a piece of fruit, hoping it would help the queasiness pass.

So here she was, sitting on the bathroom floor and throwing up. She took a sip of water from a glass on the edge of the sink and spat it out, before tiredly reaching up to flush the toilet. She groaned quietly, cold sweat covering her forehead, the nausea still churning in her stomach. Exhausted, she lay down and pressed her cheek against the cool tile floor. "_This feels nice. I'll just stay here for a bit."_

Jane didn't know how long she'd been on the floor when she heard the apartment door shut, soon followed by Kurt calling for her. "Here," she croaked.

"Oh, Jane…" She heard his worried voice from the doorway, before she felt his fingers gently caress her cheek as he knelt by her side.

She cast a tired look up at him, knowing she probably looked about as miserable as she felt. "I'm sick."

"Yeah, you are," Kurt acknowledged softly, moving her sweaty hair away from her face. "Looks like you caught that stomach bug going around the NYO," he continued in a sympathetic tone. "Come on, let's get you off the floor." Kurt helped her sit up and supported her against his chest as he sat, leaning against the wall.

Jane thought she was feeling marginally better now that Kurt was here. She was no damsel in distress, but she was utterly drained right now. Even keeping her eyes open felt like an effort. She leaned into his chest and closed her eyes, tiredly hoping the nausea would pass. His arm anchored her against him, his thumb caressing the back of her hand soothingly.

Kurt pressed his lips to her forehead gently. "I think you might have a bit of a temperature," he commented softly and brought his hand up to her forehead. "Still feeling sick?"

She nodded in the affirmative, and that was enough to make her stomach cramp and to have her reach for the toilet again. She retched out what little she still had in her stomach and dry-heaved painfully. Kurt held her hair out of her face, and flushed the toilet when she finally stopped heaving. She collapsed bonelessly back into his embrace.

"Here," he held the glass to her lips, letting her rinse her mouth. "Try to drink a little," he coaxed. Jane took a small sip, but no more. She couldn't keep a quiet moan from escaping her lips as her stomach cramped.

"Oh, my love." he lamented quietly as his hand rubbed small, comforting circles on her back. "Feeling any better, now?"

"Not feeling like I'm gonna throw up, at least." Jane mumbled against him.

Kurt pressed a kiss into her hair. "Okay, come on. Let's get you to bed."

Jane felt him slip one arm under her legs, and tighten his grip on the other arm around her back.

"No wait," she protested weakly. "You shouldn't be carrying me, I'm probably contagious."

Kurt got up with her in his arms and hummed softly. "You let me worry about that."

As he lay her on the bed, Jane sighed tiredly. She heard him move around as he put a bucket next to the bed and set a glass of water on the table. In a moment the bed dipped as Kurt sat on the edge of it and placed a cool washcloth on her forehead.

She opened her eyes tiredly, seeing him gaze at her; worry and concern reflected in his eyes.

"Kurt, I- "

"Shh." He brought his hand to her cheek, caressing it tenderly with his thumb. "It's okay. Everything's okay."

She leaned into his touch and gave a tiny smile, before whispering "Thank you for taking care of me."

Kurt didn't say anything, he only smiled and gazed at her lovingly.

Jane closed her eyes, giving in to the exhaustion.

Soon, she felt Kurt's fingers caress her cheek lightly and heard him whisper, "Get some sleep. I'm gonna run to the store and get some Gatorade, if you could keep that down a little later."

"Okay," she mumbled, almost asleep by the time he headed out.


	3. Best-laid Plans

A/N:The requested prompt was **Knife to the Throat** and it was requested by KeepSaying.

* * *

Jane's ribs felt like they were on fire, and sitting on a chair with her arms zip tied behind her back wasn't helping. She didn't know which was worse, her ribs or her abdomen. The group of men holding her had landed a few vicious punches as they had jumped her as she was investigating a location tipoff. She could have taken them if not for the stun gun they had had with them. But that was only the beginning. In the struggle, she had managed to injure their leader's arm, so they had made her pay with a beating as they got to the barn where they now were. They hadn't touched her face though, so Jane suspected they we're planning on moving her at some point.

She was getting anxious. It had been hours since she had been taken, and she knew Kurt would be beside himself with worry and probably blaming himself for what had happened. Because of the time sensitive tipoffs, they had to go check out the locations separately, despite Kurt's resistance. Reade was tied up in meetings with the brass and Zapata was with Keaton, so they had to split up if they wanted to check out both of the sites. Kurt had been dead set against it, but she had gently assured him that she would be fine. She sighed in frustration_ "The best laid plans of mice and men…"_

She knew her captors had contacted the FBI. Apparently, they were part of a crime syndicate and suspected the FBI had some information on a freelancer who had been throwing wrenches into their boss's lucrative drug business. The name they had mentioned meant nothing to Jane. She had never heard of the man.

She looked around the barn she was locked in. Her anxiety increased as she saw the chains hanging from the roof, and the table by the corner. The table had some screwdrivers and pliers on it, some power tools, lengths of garden hose and a car battery and cables. It looked completely innocuous to an outsider. But Jane _knew_ what those could be used for, and that she would probably be the next target. Her breathing quickened just at the thought and she could feel cold sweat break out on her forehead. "_I can't go through that again. Please, no."_

Jane was startled out of her thoughts by the opening door. A couple of the men entered the barn, and one of them walked up to Jane, looking down at her.

"So, are you going to tell us what you know about Lewis?"

Jane looked up at the man, her voice tight as she spoke. "I already told you, I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Funny, that's what your colleagues at the FBI told our boss, when we talked to them. But we know you know him, we saw him leave your offices. We gave your office some time to dig out the information you have; let's see what you're worth."

The man stepped behind Jane and grabbed her by the hair so that she was staring up at him. He had pulled a knife and the tip of it was perilously close to her eye. "Otherwise, we'll just have to see if you're telling the truth. Our boss was thinking that maybe I should take your eye out," he grinned at Jane. "I'm sure you'll tell us all you have on Lewis after that. And if not…then I'll just continue, until you do. Taking a couple of your fingertips first, then maybe a finger… "he trailed off.

Jane felt her heart beat faster in her chest. She had no doubt this brute would follow up on his threat, and enjoy doing it. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

* * *

"No, Reade!" Kurt growled into the phone as he sat alone in his SUV. Shaded by the trees, he was parked at the end of the forest road leading to the property where they knew Jane was being held. "I am not waiting for the tactical team!"

"Weller, the tactical team will be there in less than five minutes," Reade tried to reason with his friend. "You'll be putting yourself _and _Jane at risk if you go in alone."

"No! Daylight is fading and the longer we wait, the greater the risk that they will hurt Jane." "_If they haven't already," _his mind unhelpfully supplied.

"Weller –"

Kurt's tone was brusque. "No! You're not the one who's witnessed the toll these cases have on her, _night after night!_"

Removing his service weapon holster from his belt, he turned off the engine. "I'm going off comms here and heading to the property. Tell the tactical team to follow me in as soon as possible". Ending the call, he left his phone on the seat and tucked a large folded envelope in the waistband of his jeans.

He could see light coming from the barn about 300 yards away. He considered going through the woods, but he was alone and unarmed so he reasoned it would be more natural if they saw him approach by the road.

As he walked up the road, he heard someone call out to him to stop.

He did as instructed and held his hands out in front of him in a placating gesture. "My name is Kurt Weller, I'm with the FBI. I'm here to talk about the information you asked for." He slowly showed the man the envelope he had on him. "I'm unarmed," he continued and lifted his shirt to show he had no weapons on him.

One man approached him and patted him down roughly as another one kept his pistol pointed at his chest and spoke into a radio, announcing that Kurt had arrived.

"Come on, then," the closer man grunted, giving Kurt a push toward the barn.

"_The tactical team better get here fast."_

As they shoved him through the doorway, he quickly assessed the situation. There were five of the men in there with him, and Jane. One of the men, apparently the leader, was standing next to her. He looked slightly pale and his arm was resting in a makeshift sling. Kurt felt shudder of fear run through him as he saw a tall man standing behind Jane, holding her in his grip with a knife to her throat. The tip of the knife was just touching her skin. Chancing a look at her, Kurt saw a glimpse of genuine fear in her eyes. Taking in the tools and accessories inside the room, it dawned on him. "_Oh, Jane…"_

"You okay?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible, not wanting to give anything away.

Jane gave a short "Yes", held in the brute's grip.

"That's far enough," the leader spoke, looking at Kurt. "Do you have what we asked?"

"After some searching we found the information, I have it here," Kurt waved the envelope in his left hand briefly. "The FBI questioned him in relation to another investigation, but it was determined he wasn't a person of interest in the case."

The man scoffed. "Not a person of interest. Maybe not to you."

Kurt was getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't like the way things felt_. "Where the hell is the tactical team." _From what he gathered, there was one man outside and five inside. He had to wait, he couldn't risk Jane without knowing the team was close.

"You got what you wanted, now let her go." Kurt's words were directed at the man, but his eyes were on Jane. The sight of the knife at her throat had his heart beating at such a pace he thought it would burst out of his chest.

The leader regarded Kurt for a moment and smirked. "No. This is how it's going to work. You give us the envelope and we release her."

One of the henchmen took a step toward Kurt and reached out, intending to take the envelope. But Kurt suddenly pulled the hand close to his chest, causing the man to raise the pistol he held in his other hand and which was now aimed at Weller's head.

Kurt voice was adamant as he spoke. "No, first you let her go and then we leave the envelope as we walk out of here."

The leader laughed. "Aren't you a stubborn Fed. You do realize I could tell my men just to take it by force, don't you?"

"We have FBI agents at the perimeter waiting for us and they have orders to come in if we're not out of here in 5 minutes," Kurt bluffed. Technically he wasn't bluffing, the tactical team was not going to wait, they would assault at an opportune moment.

"And risk another Ruby Ridge? Hmm?"

Kurt could feel the leader's eyes on him, observing him. And it was making him nervous. He knew he had to make a move soon or neither he nor Jane would get out of here alive.

"She's FBI. Your best bet is to let her go and let us walk out." Kurt stared down the older man.

The man looked at Jane, held by his subordinate, and then turned back to Kurt, clearly apprising him from head to toe. "This isn't the first time I've dealt with your people. And your behavior suggests something else." He gave a slight nod, and Kurt heard Jane gasp.

At the sound, Kurt looked at Jane again. The tip of the blade had pierced her skin, a small rivulet of blood running down her throat.

"Don't!" Kurt couldn't keep the note of panic from his voice.

The older man laughed, satisfied. "I noticed you're wearing a wedding ring. And by the looks of the diamonds, so is she. She wouldn't be your wife, now would she?"

As if on cue, there was a dull thudding sound coming from the outside of the barn. "_Finally." _Kurt cast a quick look at Jane, making eye contact with her before lunging at the henchman standing next to him. He felt a hint of fear, leaving Jane to deal with the knife-armed brute, but if anyone could handle the situation it was his Jane.

Kurt grabbed the man's hand, pulling him off balance and kneeing his chest and then hitting his back as his center of gravity came down. His pistol clattered somewhere under the shelves as he went down, disoriented and out of the fight.

The leader of the group and one of his guards had fled somewhere outside, but Kurt didn't worry about that, the tactical team would get them. He heard glass shatter as a couple of well-aimed shots to the chest took down one of the perpetrators who was just about to shoot at Kurt.

Just as Kurt turned, he heard Jane groan in pain and looked toward her. Based on the blood on the tall man's face, she had managed to headbutt him and get out of the zipties and was holding her own against him, but now the man had just cut her arm with the knife. Kurt felt a mixture of fear and rage fill his mind and moved toward them just as she got her hands on a metal pipe and swung it almost like a baseball bat, connecting with the man's side.

The man crumpled to the ground with a groan, as Jane backed away from him into the corner. Kurt told one of the entering tactical team members to secure him, before turning away and going to Jane.

* * *

Jane had dropped the pipe and paused in the corner to catch her breath. Her arm throbbed where the knife had cut her, but at least she knew things were over. Seeing Kurt approach, she couldn't help a shuddering breath from escaping. "_Kurt's here."_ Standing in front of her now, he looked at her tenderly, worry audible in his tone as he breathed her name and gingerly pulled her against his chest.

Safe in his arms, she pressed her face into his shirt, smelling the familiar scent of his aftershave. The thought of what had almost happened again struck her and a small, pained cry escaped as she grabbed his shirt, clinging to him. Despite the adrenalin of the fight, the fear still gripped her heart; the wounds of the black site torn open again. Her breathing ragged and her anxiety overwhelming, she buried herself deeper into Kurt's embrace and felt him tighten his arms protectively around her, leaning his cheek into her hair. She tried to focus on his touch. One of his hands was rubbing up and down her back slowly and the other threaded through her hair as he held her close, whispering soothingly. "You're okay. It's okay."

All she could do, was to hold on to him.

Jane didn't know how long they had stood there, nor did she care. Gradually, the commotion around them died down and it was just her and Kurt, there in the corner of the barn. She felt so tired and like there was hardly an inch on her body that did not hurt. She lifted her head from Kurt's chest finally and looked up at him, silently pleading for him to get her out of there. She could see the concern in his eyes as he brought up his hand and traced his fingers tenderly over her cheek. He looked at the small wound by her throat and she could sense his relief as he noticed it was barely bleeding. The lines of worry on his face deepened again when he lifted her bleeding arm gently to inspect the deep gash the knife had left. He leaned in to kiss her forehead, speaking softly as looped his arm behind her back and pulled her cautiously into his side. "Come on, we need to get your injuries treated."

Unable to maintain any façade right now and too tired to argue, Jane simply leaned into Kurt, letting him support her.

* * *

It was already well past two o'clock at night by the time they got home from the hospital. Jane had received a dozen stitches on her arm and some strong painkillers for the broken ribs she had as a result of the beating. Luckily there had not been any major internal bleeding so she had been sent home with instructions to rest for the next few days.

She had been exhausted by the time they got home, the events of the day having taken a heavy toll on her. Kurt had tried to get her to eat something despite the late hour, knowing the last time she had eaten had been lunch, but she had shaken her head with a subdued "no thanks" before wearily undressing and crawling into bed.

An hour or so later, Kurt woke up to Jane's agonizing scream. It was what Kurt had feared. Her nightmares were back, with a vengeance. She was moving on the bed, her arms in front of her almost like pleading or trying to hold something off.

"No, please! I don't know! Please, don't…."

Kurt heard the pain and fear in her voice, and it broke his heart. Her movements were getting more violent and her voice more anxious. He knew he had to wake her from the nightmare before she hurt herself.

He turned to his side, inching close enough so he could touch her. He didn't want to chance touching her yet, fearing she might lash out, taking Kurt for what or whoever her tormentor was. Instead, he did as he had done whenever she was having a nightmare: keeping his voice low and gentle, he called out to her, hoping to coax her out of it.

"Jane. Jane, it's me. You're dreaming. It's just a bad dream."

Slowly, he seemed to be getting through to her. Her screams receded to whimpers as she seemed to recognize his voice.

He reached out carefully and begun running his fingertips soothingly down Jane's healthy arm. "It's okay, Jane. You're safe. You're home."

After a while, as he kept whispering and touching her gently, she seemed to wake up. Her breathing was still rapid and her eyes were full of terror as she looked around the room.

Kurt's slowly moved up and leaned against the end of the bed, his tone soft as he reached his hand to cup Jane's cheek. "Hey…it's okay."

Jane let out a pitiful cry, as she looked at him with a scared look in her eyes. Her tone was distraught. "Where…where are they?"

Her fear was like a gut punch for Kurt. "Come here." He spoke tenderly and, watchful of her broken ribs, pulled her into his lap. He could tell her heart was racing and felt her rapid breaths against his neck.

He kissed her temple softly, tightening his arms around her as he felt her bury herself deeper into his embrace, as if seeking shelter. "Breathe, just breathe...It's okay. There's no one here, just us. You're safe."

Gradually, with Kurt's gentle touches and murmurs, Jane calmed but she made no effort to move, still holding on to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently as he ran his hand through her hair.

Jane was silent for a long moment. Her voice was quiet as she spoke.

"I was somewhere, being tortured. It wasn't Keaton. It was..it was these faceless characters, burning me, beating me with rubber hoses…" Her voice quivered. "Giving me electric shocks, waterboarding."

Kurt felt her tears hit his skin before he heard her sob. "There was a smell, a chemical. It was the same one I smelled at the black site, and in the barn today."

"You're not there, Jane." Kurt spoke softly into her hair. "You're home. You're safe."

Her voice was getting more distressed again. "They kept asking me about where different people were. I tried to tell them I didn't know, but they didn't believe me. They just kept going…" She hid her head into his shoulder, her breath hitching as she cried.

Kurt rubbed gentle circles on her back, hoping to calm her anxiety. "Shh. It was just a dream. It's okay."

All cried out, Jane curled up to his side, her arms wrapped around him. "I've got you, Jane."

She tried to keep her eyes open, trying to stay awake, but ultimately her exhausted body gave out and she fell asleep.

Kurt kissed her cheek and kept caressing her back softly, determined to watch over Jane as she slept. He didn't know if he could keep her nightmares at bay but he would certainly try.


	4. Bad Luck

A/N: This is another prompt filled for the BTHB, namely** Painful wound-cleaning** and it was requested by kate-dammit-run and a Nonny. Despite this being a bad things happen bingo prompt, this is more Jeller fluff and TLC.

**Bad Luck**

Kurt could not believe his luck, his _bad_ luck. They had been executing a high-risk warrant a few days ago, when a scuffle ensued and one of the suspects managed to stab him in the thigh with a hunting knife.

Of course, the result had been surgery, followed by a couple of days in the hospital.

He had been released from the hospital the previous day, and now he was lying on the bed dressed in an old t-shirt and his boxers. Luckily, the knife had missed the artery, but since the suspect had managed to twist the knife, the doctors had decided to let the wound heal from the inside out. That in turn meant that the wound had to be irrigated and packed with gauze twice a day. Kurt had already discovered in the hospital that packing a wound was one of the most painful experiences he had come across. He was not looking forward to it.

He was achy and grumpy again. He absolutely hated being sidelined because of an injury. He had asked the doctors if he could be cleared for desk duty after a few days at home, but Jane had protested vehemently that she would not let him anywhere near the NYO before he was sufficiently healed and been cleared for full duty. And the last thing he wanted was to cause Jane to worry even more, so he had dropped the issue.

"_Speak of the devil,"_ Kurt thought fondly, as Jane walked in the bedroom and sat by him on the bed.

She brought her hand up lovingly, her fingers lightly tracing his forehead and he closed his eyes, enjoying her caress.

"Hey." Even with his eyes closed, he could hear the smile in her voice as she ran her fingers over his skin.

Opening his eyes, he huffed in frustration. "What is it with me and stab wounds?" He lamented as he looked at the old scar in his right thigh and then the dressing covering the new wound.

"Hazards of the job," Jane gave a small, sad smile as she leaned her forehead against his. "But now, you'll have matching scars," she whispered against his lips before kissing him deeply.

He couldn't help but smile at her somewhat husky tone. "True."

She sat up again, running a hand through his hair ."Although, if I had my way, you'd never get more scars again," she said, worried. "Did you take the painkiller already?"

"Yeah, a half an hour ago. Not that it will help much." He was unable to hide the sarcastic note in his voice when he spoke the last sentence.

A pained sound escaped Jane, and she leaned in again, pressing a gentle kiss to Kurt's cheek before speaking softly. "I know, I'm sorry. But we need to treat your wound."

"Yeah," he replied, resigned to his fate.

"I'm just going to gather the supplies and wash my hands."

After a few minutes Jane had set up everything she needed. She had arranged the new, saline-soaked gauze in a small bowl on the table, along with a pair of tweezers, some long cotton swabs and dressings, and a bottle of saline to irrigate the wound.

"Come on, lift your leg a little" she asked him, helping him gently as she placed a towel under it, so that she could irrigate the wound before repacking it.

Kurt leaned back and sighed. He knew he was going to hate the next fifteen minutes, and that it would leave him drained.

"You ready?" Jane asked as she put on a pair of medical gloves.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's just get this done."

Jane carefully removed the dressing covering the stab wound and threw it in the garbage bag by her feet.

As she took the tweezers and begun to pull the old gauze out, Kurt turned his face away and stared at the ceiling. Jane tried to be cautious, but he couldn't keep from hissing in pain occasionally as she pulled the gauze out and it had got stuck on the inside of the wound as it had dried.

Kurt breathed out a long sigh as Jane had gotten it out and went to rinse the wound with saline.

She smiled at him, placing her other hand lightly on his leg, her thumb caressing his knee comfortingly. "There we go, the first half is done."

Kurt couldn't help grimacing when he moved so that Jane could remove the towel from under his leg. He felt the cold sweat on his forehead already before she had placed the end of the roll of gauze into his wound. He looked away again as she started to slowly pack it in with the help of the cotton swab.

He tried to stay still as she kept pushing the gauze in, but couldn't keep from flinching as the swab touched a nerve on occasion. He let out a moan and grabbed a fistful of the comforter next to him on the bed, trying to bury himself deeper into the pillows.

"Sorry," Jane said apologetically, casting a loving but pained look at him. "Do you want me to stop for a minute?"

He tried to breathe through the pain, his voice sounding strained even to his own ears as he shook his head slightly. "No. No. It's okay…I know you're trying to be careful."

She slowly continued the process. A couple of minutes later she had managed to pack one small roll into the wound but because of its size, another one still had to be added. The second one was half in when the pain became too much for Kurt to bear. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and groaned in agony, speaking with a halting voice. "Stop… just stop for a moment. Let me…let me catch my breath." His chest heaved as he fought to normalize his breathing. Soon, he felt Jane's hand run up and down his arm soothingly and saw the worry reflected in her eyes as he looked at her.

"It's almost done," she said gently.

"Why the hell does this have to hurt so much?" he asked rhetorically.

"I know it hurts. I'm sorry. Just a little bit more, okay?"

Kurt closed his eyes and gave a small nod of acceptance as he leaned back into the pillows again.

After a little while, Jane had packed the last of the gauze into the wound and threw the cotton swab into the garbage bag before tenderly covering the wound with a new dressing and removing her gloves.

"There we go, it's done," she whispered as she rose and caressed his cheek.

Kurt leaned into her touch and gazed at his wife, feeling a mix of love and gratitude for having Jane in his life. He smiled at her slightly, his tone sincere as he spoke. "Thank you for taking care of me."

She didn't say anything, only smiled at him sweetly. Leaning in, she placed a soft kiss on his lips as he closed his eyes. Her breath warmed his cheek as she murmured. "You're exhausted, Kurt." He heard the rustle as she took the comforter and then felt her carefully tuck it around him. "Go to sleep. I'll go turn off the lights and then I'll be right here."

It was barely a minute later as the exhaustion won out and Kurt was fast asleep.


	5. Last One Left

A/N: I watched the deleted scene from "Clamorous night", and my angsty muse got a hold of me again. Just a small little drabble.

While I'm at it, I'll use this to fill in another square on my Bad things happen bingo card. Namely, **Voice breaking.**

* * *

**Last one left **

Jane had just emerged from the shower. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and sighed deeply. It had been another long and stressful day, courtesy of her brother. She was feeling achy and exhausted, but her brain was going a hundred miles an hour. Trying to distract herself, Jane took the hairdryer from the drawer and proceeded to dry her hair. After that she took another look at herself in the mirror. She saw the angry welts still in her wrists left by the handcuffs and noticed new bruises emerging, mixing with her tattoos, as she rubbed body lotion on her skin. Putting on a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a tank top, she switched off the light and left the bathroom.

She could hear Kurt in the living room, as he switched off the lights and made sure all the locks were engaged. After Cade had found his way into their apartment, and particularly after today's events, it felt more important than ever to check.

Jane sat on the bed and sighed again, the events of the day and particularly her discussion with Roman on a loop in her head. She was so lost in thought she didn't even notice Kurt entering the bedroom before he sat on his side of the bed and reached out to caress her shoulder lightly.

"Hey, you okay?" His tone was gentle, the worry showing through as he spoke.

"Yeah," Jane replied quietly. "I just keep thinking about today, about what almost happened."

"Jane…" She heard the rustle of the sheets as Kurt closed the distance between them and placed a soft kiss to her neck where the cattle prod had left a mark.

She leaned forward, burying her head in her hands. A shiver ran through her, as she fully understood what had almost happened. "Roman…he sent assassins after us, Kurt." Her own brother had tried to kill her. Her own_ brother_. She felt the warm tears trail down her cheeks and drop onto her sweatpants.

"They failed. We're still here," Kurt's voice reminded her softly.

"He wanted me to be the last one left, so that I knew all of you were gone." Jane's voice broke as she spoke the next words. "He…he told me you were dead," she hiccuped, her shoulders shaking.

"Oh, Jane…come here."

She felt Kurt's arms carefully wrap around her and went willingly into the warm embrace as he pulled her against his chest. She pressed her face into his worn t-shirt, the fabric absorbing her bitter tears of pain. She had tried so hard to get through to Roman, but to no avail. All he saw was how she had betrayed him. Her pain felt like it was coming from the deepest corners of her heart and that it was tearing her apart. _"_I tried…I tried so hard," Jane whimpered, curling against her husband, seeking shelter in his arms.

"I know…. I know," Kurt murmured lovingly as he cocooned her against him, squeezing her close with one arm as his other hand stroked her hair.

"You're not your brother's keeper, Jane," he said gently, as her tears finally stopped. He looked at her tenderly, moving a strand of hair out of her face as he wiped her tears away. Jane gave him a small, teary smile as she looked at him and nodded. "I know. I just wish I could make him understand."

Kurt gave her a long, lingering kiss and caressed her cheek. "There's only so much you can do. In the end, it's up to him."

Jane nodded sadly, snuggling into the crook of Kurt's neck as he turned off the bedside lamp and leaned into the pillows. "Try to get some sleep," he whispered softly.


	6. Time

A/N: The requested prompt was **Insomnia** and it was requested by kate-dammit-run. Not as angsty as some of my fics, but has some angst.

Timeframe is sometime during s4, as Jane as recovered all her memories and tries to comes to terms with them. And ZIP is still very much in play.

* * *

**Time**

Kurt woke up from his slumber, feeling a slight chill on his chest. His back was nice and warm thanks to the comforter he was snuggled in. But still, something was missing. "_Jane."_

And sure enough, as he opened his eyes he found her side of the bed empty. He put his hand on the sheets. They were cold, which meant that it had been some time. He listened quietly for a while, but didn't hear anything, nor did he see any light shine under the bathroom door. A feeling of dread hit him. "_Did she leave again? No, she wouldn't have. Not while the ZIP –."_

He stamped down on the rising panic and threw off the comforter, getting up. Glancing at the clock he saw it was 3:24, the dead of night.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and padded the few steps down the hallway to the living room quietly, only to discover Jane standing in front of the balcony glass doors dressed in a sleeveless shirt and her underwear. She was staring outside, with the moonlight bathing her in a soft glow.

Kurt walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her against him. "Hey. The bed is cold without you," he murmured against her shoulder softly as he pressed a kiss to it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered, covering his hand with her own and caressing it.

Kurt shook his head slightly. "You didn't." He held her close for a while, observing her. "Couldn't sleep?" He asked gently. He knew she had been prone to bouts of insomnia as long as they had known each other, but particularly now, after regaining all of her memories of her life as Alice and Remi, the insomnia had become more frequent, as had the nightmares.

She didn't say anything, just nodded slightly and swallowed hard.

Only now did Kurt notice the tear tracks on her cheeks. He took a step back and carefully turned her around to face him, reaching up to wipe her tears away. She quickly averted her eyes from his, looking down at her hands instead.

"Jane…please. What is it?" He caressed her jaw, lifting it carefully, so she had no alternative but to look at him.

In her eyes he saw a vulnerability that he hadn't seen in years. The same look of terror she had when they first met and she had no idea who she was or where she had come from. But now, the reason for that look was something else entirely.

"How can you still stand to be with me? After all the things Remi – after all the things that _I _did?"

"Jane–", he tried to interrupt her. He knew she was still struggling to reconcile all her memories, all of the things she had done over the years. Some of them she had revealed, after a bad nightmare as he held her while she cried. But he knew those were just the tip of the iceberg. He would do anything he could to help her through this.

Her voice was getting more agitated with every word and her look was full of pain as she spoke. "No, Kurt! You should be getting as far away from me as you can! This is all my own doing. I should just leave, it would be better for everyone."

"No!" he said forcefully. He took a hold of her arms, running his hands up and down her arms as he continued softly, his voice full of emotion as he looked at her lovingly. "I will _not _leave you, and I will not let you leave, either. Please, Jane. You've told me some of the things you did in Afghanistan and in the past with Shepherd. And I know what you did recently, when the ZIP started affecting you."

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before continuing. "Remi is a part of who you are and always will be. But, you are still _you_, Jane." He could feel the tears cloud his vision as he spoke. He saw the smile he loved appear on her lips, and went on. "You are still my wife, the woman I fell in love with. And despite all that has happened, I still love you as much as I ever did. I vowed to you I would be here through good times and bad, in sickness and in health." He felt a tear trail down his cheek, knew he sounded desperate as he spoke the next words, but he didn't care. "Let me do that, Jane. Please, don't leave."

She reached up, wiping away his tears and gazing into his eyes. "I won't. I promise."

"Thank you. I will be right here with you, every step of the way."

Her smile faded, as she whispered. "But, I might not be here for long."

A pained sound escaped Kurt and he shook his head. "Don't say that."

Jane lifted her hand and ran it along his cheek, continuing gently "Kurt, we both know that this is a race against time. The amount of ZIP in my body is a lot more than what Roman had. We might not have enough time to find the drives and —"

"No, Jane! No." He shook his head again, vehemently. "We _will_ find that cure."

"Kurt…"

His voice faltered slightly as he spoke. "There's no other choice." He breathed deeply to compose himself and continued in a soft tone, looking at her adoringly. "Let's cross that bridge only if we have to. Please. I will not give up on you."

He saw the love reflected in her eyes, before she leaned into him and kissed him softly. "Then, neither will I."

"Good."

She wrapped her arms around him, burying deeper against him. "I love you, Kurt."

He placed a kiss into her hair. "I love you too."

After a while, he noticed her shivering slightly in his arms and coaxed softly. "Come back to bed. You need to rest, it might be a long day. Patterson said she has something to show us in the morning."

He figured she was almost half-asleep against him, since the only reply was a mumbled "Okay".

Kurt lifted her gently into his arms and carried her to the bedroom, hoping they would both get a couple of more hours of sleep before the alarm woke them and a new day began.


	7. Wake-Up Call

Time for another short Blindspot fic. BTHB with the prompt **Go Through Me"**, which was requested by my lovely beta. She also gets credit for honing some of the dialogue to be more in character and for the idea of the ending. Thank you!

I hope you guys like this one!

* * *

**Wake-Up Call**

"Where the hell is the backup, Patterson?" Jane heard Kurt's barked question in her comms and saw his agitation as he crouched on the other side of the doorframe, taking cover.

"They're less than 10 minutes away, Weller. Just hang on."

"We might not have 10 minutes!"

Returning fire against their assailants with her pistol, Jane wondered briefly how they'd ended up in this situation. It was supposed to be a simple case of picking up an accountant for protective custody in a case they were working on. Unfortunately, the crime syndicate had had the same idea, and their footmen appeared at the residence right when she and Kurt were about to escort the man and his teenage daughter to the SUV. They had quickly retreated to the upstairs bedroom where they were now, exchanging fire with the gunmen.

As the fire died down for a few moments, Jane glanced at Kurt as he tried to glimpse downstairs to see how many opponents they were facing. Luckily only one of them had managed to reach the second floor landing and was in a bedroom down the hall from them.

"What's your ammo count?" She asked Kurt.

His look was resolute, but she could see the worry in his eyes too. "Last mag." If their back up didn't arrive soon, this would end badly for them. She then glanced at the accountant, who was wearing the bulletproof vest they had brought with them. He was sitting in the bedroom closet, holding his daughter who was smothered in Kurt's way-too-large body armor. Kurt had insisted the girl take it, for the father's peace of mind if nothing else. Jane could only smile at the gesture that was so characteristic of her husband. She had offered to give the daughter her body armor, but at Kurt's quick and adamant "no!", she relented. She didn't have time to reason with him when bullets were flying.

Kurt ducked back around the doorframe on his side, as the bullets impacting the wall showered Jane's face with plaster and splinters. He fired off a couple of shots, followed by the sound of a groan as his rounds had hit someone downstairs.

"Jane," Kurt whispered to get her attention. He nodded towards the next room signaling with his hand he was going to cross there.

She shook her head vehemently. "Kurt, no!"

"We need to draw their fire away from this room."

"OK, then let me go. I still have my vest on."

"No, you're not going."

"Yes, I am." Before Kurt had a chance to argue further, Jane sprinted and dived into the room next door, a strain of bullet impacts trailing her path, but luckily missing. Feeling the adrenalin buzz in her body, she took a couple of deep breaths, and whispered a quick "I'm okay" into her comms.

Suddenly, a voice called out to them from downstairs. "Hey, Feds!"

"What?" Jane could hear the irritation in Kurt's voice.

"We just want Reisner. Give him to us, and we'll let you walk out of here."

"He's in federal protective custody right now, so you can't have him." Kurt replied almost flippantly, trying to play for time until their backup could get there.

"Doesn't look too protective from where I'm looking," the gunman replied.

Jane used the moment to check her ammunition. Pressing the magazine release of her Glock 19, she grabbed the magazine, and slid it out of the magazine well until she saw where the last round was. She sighed. _"8 in mag, 1 in the chamber. Where the hell are they? They need to get here soon or the only thing to find are going to be dead bodies."_ Slamming the magazine back in, she continued listening to the exchange between Kurt and the leader of the hit team.

"If you want him, you'll need to go through me!" Kurt shouted back.

The reply was a few more rounds hitting the doorway that Kurt was crouching behind. Jane could hear the fearful, short scream of Reisner's daughter as the firing started again. The poor girl hadn't had any idea what her father had been involved in before Kurt and Jane had shown up at their door.

The exchange of gunfire continued, and the assailants were starting to advance upstairs more brazenly when they noticed that Kurt and Jane weren't firing back as much, trying to conserve their ammunition.

"Hey, you hear that?" Kurt soon bellowed over the gunfire. Jane listened and then she heard it too. Sirens. _Backup._

"That's our backup!" Kurt continued. "You better make a decision! Die or be arrested, or slink out of here. The choice is yours."

Despite their shrinking odds, a couple of the gunmen, including their leader, decided to stay put. Kurt was right, they died in an exchange of fire with the Reade and the agents who arrived.

"Weller! Jane!" She heard Reade call out to them from downstairs.

Kurt gave her a quick once-over, as she emerged from the room. "You okay?"

Jane saw the worry in Kurt's eyes and smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm fine, Kurt."

Kurt nodded at Reisner and his daughter, indicating that it was safe for them to come out of hiding and head outside.

Jane smiled at the girl, and touched her shoulder comfortingly, as she fell instep beside the girl as they headed downstairs, with Kurt following behind them.

They had just stepped off the porch of the old farmhouse, and Jane had turned the girl and Reisner to the agents there, when she heard Kurt's alarmed voice.

"Jane…"

He was standing on the last step of the porch stairs, the look in his eyes a mixture of shock and confusion, as he pulled his hand away from under his black shirt and saw it was red.

"_Oh, God no. He's been hit."_

The next moment, his knees buckled and he collapsed on the ground.

"KURT!" Jane sprinted to him, dropping to her knees beside him. Now, she noticed the large stain of blood soaking the bottom of his black shirt. Carefully lifting it, she tried to wipe away the blood to see the wound right by the edge of his jeans.

"_There's too much blood. He's going to bleed out right here. I can't lose him," _the voice inside her was verging on panic.

She took Kurt's hand, firmly placing it on the wound, putting her own hand on his and pressing down. She heard Kurt groan in pain. Not able to look at the blood seeping through their hands, she focused on Kurt's face. It was glistening with sweat, his brow furrowed in pain as he tried to lift his head to look at the wound.

Jane caressed his cheek with her free hand, guiding his head to the ground. "Hey, Kurt. Don't look at that. Look at me," she told him, hoping her voice sounded steadier than she felt. She could see he struggled to focus his eyes on her, but she gave him a small smile as she locked eyes with him.

Keeping her hands on him, she turned hear head over her shoulder, shouting. "Kurt's been hit! Get an ambulance, NOW!"

"Jane…" he whispered weakly, his eyes almost closed.

She kept running her fingers over his forehead gently, small traces of blood leaving trails on it. "I'm right here, Kurt. I've got you." The voice inside her was getting more desperate. "_He's fading. He's dying."_

He tried to move his hand from on top of the wound to interlace his fingers with hers.

"No, no. You need to keep pressure on that," she told him, her voice quivering. She interlaced her fingers with his on top of the wound, and pressed down harder, desperately trying to stem the bleeding as Kurt let out a wail of agony.

"I'm sorry, I have to do it," she whispered and leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead.

"I feel tired," Kurt mumbled quietly, and closed his eyes, his breathing getting shallower.

Jane moved her hand to his neck, feeling his pulse. It was thready. She gently lifted him into her arms, cradling him close with her free arm. "Stay with me, Kurt. Please, stay with me," she pleaded with him, whispering into his hair as tears trailed down her face.

After a couple of minutes, Jane realized he had stopped breathing. Her vision blurred by tears, she brought her hand to his cheek, tracing his stubbled cheek softly. "Kurt, no! No! Please, no!" She sobbed, as she squeezed him close to her.

* * *

Jane jerked awake, a feeling of anxiety nearly overwhelming her, her heart racing. It took her a couple of seconds to orient herself. "_You're home." _Feeling Kurt's solid body pressed against her back and feeling his steady breath on her neck, she let out a shuddering breath as her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. _"He's alive. He's right here, with you."_

Her hand sought out his that rested on her stomach. She interlaced their hands and squeezed his fingers, as she backed further into his chest, seeking assurance that he was really there.

As she moved, he instinctively tightened his hold on her, stirring slightly. "Everything okay?" Kurt mumbled against her, still half asleep.

"Yeah, just a bad dream," was her quiet, timid answer.

He squeezed her fingers and pressed a sleepy kiss to her neck, sheltering her in his embrace. "Go back to sleep. I've got you," he whispered.

"I love you, Kurt," she replied, feeling safe again as she closed her eyes.

"Love you, too," he managed, before starting to snore softly again.


	8. Bad Day

A/N: It's time for another bad things happen bingo prompt, namely **Broken ribs. **My beta, you are a gem and I couldn't do this without you. Thank you for correcting my typos and for deciphering my half-expressed ideas and making them into understandable sentences :D. Likewise **Indelible evidence** and **eblonde **thank you for listening to me as I struggled with the parts, and cheering me on 😊.

Love it, hate it? Please leave a comment!

* * *

**Bad Day**

Kurt was having a bad day that kept getting increasingly worse as the hours ticked by.

First, in the morning, he had been pouring himself a mug of coffee when the handle of his favorite mug broke, resulting in the hot coffee scalding his left hand. After cooling the burn and having Jane bandage it, they were finally ready to head to work. As luck would have it, some idiot had slashed two tires from their car, so they had to take a cab to the NYO, arriving late to the meeting regarding the day's operations. Things had seemed normal for a couple of hours and they had been preparing for an undercover meet and greet with a suspect, when Reade had asked that Jane stay at the NYO with him to interpret an interrogation, since the regular interpreter had come down with the flu.

Jane didn't like the idea of having Kurt go alone, but he assured her it would just be a quick meeting with the contact of an arms dealer known as Jack Miller. Kurt would be posing as an ex-military intermediary who was looking to buy some weapons off the black market for a drug cartel's security gig. He had been so wrong. Just when he thought the day couldn't get any worse, it did.

His cover had been blown almost as soon as he arrived at the meeting location. One of the contact's hired muscle was a Russian who had worked with the Stepulovs in the past, and had recognized Kurt as the FBI agent who had arrested him. The ensuing scuffle, which he lost, resulted in his watch being broken. Not that the watch itself was important, but it also had Patterson's tracker in it.

So here he was, suspended by his arms, at the mercy of his captors. He didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like hours.

Kurt groaned as his broken ribs protested. It was hard to breathe, he was almost gasping for air, as his position increased the pressure on his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut against the strain on his arms, as he hung from the chain in what must have been an old gym or something. His toes were barely scraping the ground, so he was swinging with the force of each punch that landed, feeling every bit like the punching bag that the men were using him as. He tasted the blood in his mouth. He could hear Miller's voice from behind him, tight and menacing.

"So, Agent Weller. Let me ask you again: who told the FBI about my business dealings?"

Kurt breathed through his teeth, his lungs feeling like they were on fire. He knew he couldn't give out the name of the informant. He had to delay. "It was… a tip…from the ATF."

Miller's fist connected with a broken rib, making Kurt howl in agony.

"You're lying."

Another punch, this time to his kidneys, and a pained yelp escaped him. Gasping, he lifted his head up, trying to do anything to relieve the strain on his shoulders. The next, sudden punch to his head made him black out.

Kurt didn't know how long he'd been out, but he regained consciousness when someone dumped a bucket of water on him, the cold stealing his breath. He shivered when a slight draft hit his wet skin, someone tearing open the shirt he had on him.

"Welcome back. Looks like you blacked out on us." Miller taunted him from somewhere. He tried to raise his head to see where Miller was, but even that small effort made his world spin. He couldn't help from groaning as Miller grabbed his hair and leaned in close.

"Now, where did we leave off? Ah yes, who told you about me?"

Trying to play for time, Kurt mustered his strength and stared right back at the arms dealer. "You realize, you're looking at least at life without parole for kidnapping a federal agent?"

His captor chuckled. "You're in no position to make threats. You're not the first person we've gotten to talk, and you won't be the last."

As Miller moved away again, a chill ran down Kurt's spine as he felt someone attach some alligator clips to his chest. He tried to take a deep breath to prepare himself.

"Who told the FBI about my contacts?"

"I told you, it was–" Kurt's answer was cut off by his own scream, as the electricity made his world explode in agony.

* * *

Jane was drumming her fingers against the door, resisting the urge to tell Reade to drive even faster than he was. It had been almost eleven hours since Kurt's tracker had gone silent, signaling that something was very wrong. So much for a simple meeting. The backup team Kurt had had with him were oblivious to what had happened, the location making it impossible for them to get to visual distance lest they risk blowing his cover.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stop thinking of the possible what ifs. They had tried to call the phone Kurt had with him, but the only reply was a recorded voice saying the number could not be reached. When the backup team had inspected the industrial lot, they found Kurt's car and his smashed phone.

As Patterson had done her best to track any leads that would lead them to Kurt, Rich had tried to calm Jane's anxiety by blurting out he was sure they wouldn't kill him outright. The words hadn't filled her with confidence, only managing to add to the ever more terrible scenarios in her mind. Seeing Jane's agonized look, Rich had promptly shut up, skulking back to a computer to help Patterson.

And here they were. Using traffic cams and other methods, Patterson had tracked down the location where they were holding Kurt. Jane and Reade, along with a few other agents, had just entered from the opposite side of the building's first floor, when a sound made Jane stop dead in her tracks.

It was Kurt, screaming in pain. She'd recognize his voice anywhere. As his screams continued, Jane's concentration faltered, her mind starting to fill with ideas of all the horrible things they might be doing to him.

Suddenly, the screams stopped. Jane's heart jumped to her throat. Had they killed him? She shut her eyes, forcing her lungs to take a shuddering breath and collect herself before motioning to the others they should continue.

They entered the old gym, identifying themselves. Some of the men in the room froze, others started firing at them, and Jane took cover behind a wide concrete pillar, returning fire.

Catching sight of Kurt, she momentarily feared the worst, feeling moisture in her eyes as she took in his condition. He was hanging by his arms, blood on his face and his chest, his right cheek and eye sporting bruises telling their own story. He wasn't moving, his head hung against his chest.

Her emotions were riding rollercoaster in her mind. She felt desperation and pain one moment and anger the next, as she got closer to him. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she saw the alligator clips attached to his torso. That's what had caused his screams. As the agents around her apprehended the gunmen who were wise enough not to fire at them, Jane holstered her pistol and headed for her husband. She needed to get him out of this godforsaken place.

* * *

The gunfire died down almost as fast as it had started, and Kurt wearily lifted his head from his chest to try and look, but the movement only made him see a white flash of pain. A quiet moan escaped him, as he let his head fall back down and concentrated on breathing. He felt so tired. He just wanted to sleep, and for the pulsing pain in his head and ribs to stop, but knew that was probably too much to hope for.

But then he heard it, a familiar voice. "Kurt!"

_Jane._

A moment later, he felt her soft touch on his face, caressing his cheek lightly. "What have they done to you?" Her voice quivered with emotion, as she went to remove the electrodes from his body.

He opened his eyed wearily, wanting to reassure her, but all he had the energy for was to whisper her name hoarsely, his throat sore from screaming.

Jane wiped off the blood off his face with a tender hand, speaking softly to him. "Shh. Don't talk."

"Help me get him down!" She said to someone behind him.

He cried out in pain as they released his arms and he practically collapsed into his wife's embrace. Bracing his weight, she carefully eased him to the ground and knelt next to him. "It's okay."

Kurt felt her hand running through his hair, her touch somehow soothing his pain. He opened his eyes, seeing her worried features above him. A ghost of a smile played on his lips as he tried to reach for her, pain shooting up his arm as he did so.

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently, giving him a shaky smile. "I'm here."

"How did –"

She shushed him lovingly, her fingers caressing his cheek. "Save your strength, Kurt. Help is on the way."

Concentrating on Jane's touch, he closed his eyes, hoping to ignore the pain.

* * *

It was already past one o'clock at night before they released Kurt from the hospital. The doctors had done different scans and tests to find out the extent of his injuries, which amounted to some broken bones and a severe concussion. After a few hours' observation, they had decided he was well enough to go home since he would have Jane to keep an eye on him if his condition suddenly deteriorated.

He was sitting on the couch, trying to distract himself from the way he was feeling. They had given him some painkillers in the hospital, but that was a few hours ago and the ache in his head was strengthening by the minute. Jane had asked him if he wanted anything to eat as he hadn't eaten since lunch, but food was the last thing on his mind right now. He wanted to get rid of the headache and go to the NYO to wrap up the case. Technically he was on sick leave, but the sooner they got this case passed to the US Attorney, the better.

He stood up to go to the kitchen counter where Jane was standing, but the moment he did so, he realized it was a mistake. His brain didn't like the rapid, jolting move apparently, and he knew he was going to be sick the moment he was on his feet. He caught Jane's eye as he stumbled towards the kitchen, and realizing what was happening she pulled him to the sink right before he lost the meager contents of his stomach.

Kurt felt Jane's hand stroking up and down his back as he heaved, the grating of his broken ribs only intensifying the nauseous feeling and pounding in his skull. Exhausted, he felt the cold sweat on his forehead as he stopped heaving and pulled back to lean against the kitchen cupboards, willing to stop the world from spinning.

"Just breathe, Kurt. Deep breaths."

He was breathing shallowly, trying to ease the pain in his sides. "Can't."

Her voice was soft and sympathetic. "I know it hurts. But you have to take deep breaths every hour. I don't want you developing pneumonia on top of everything."

Trying to push past the grinding agony, he did as she asked, drawing in a few deep breaths.

Her hand brushed against his, passing him a glass of water. "Here."

After he'd rinsed his mouth, Jane put her arm around his waist, indicating he should lean on her. "Come on."

He did so without protest, the nausea having left him feeling a bit woozy.

She held onto him, helping him walk to the bedroom and sat him down on the bed. He took a few breaths, grimacing at the sensation as he waited for the queasiness to pass. As it did, he looked up at her. "We should head to the NYO. I need to do the case debrief."

He was about to get up, but Jane pushed him to lie down, gently but firmly "No. You heard the doctor. You need to rest." Concern radiated from her voice as she stroked his hair, worry clear on her face. "You're in no condition to get up, much less drive. "

"But the case–," he tried to get up again, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt his stomach do somersaults again.

Jane put her hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into the pillows. "Reade and the team got it covered."

He huffed in frustration as Jane traced his bruised cheek gingerly with her fingers.

"Kurt, please." She pleaded, emotion evident in her voice. "You have a concussion and a broken eye socket. You _have to_ rest, so that things don't get any worse. The case isn't going anywhere," she finished softly.

Knowing she was right, he sighed, only to grimace as he tried to find a more comfortable position on the bed.

Noticing his discomfort, Jane looked him in the eye. "Do you want a painkiller?"

"Yeah," he groaned.

She leaned in to press a kiss to his forehead, stroking his hair. "I'll be right back."

Jane returned a few minutes later, handing him the painkiller and a glass of water.

"I brought you an ice pack too."

"For my face or for my ribs?"

"Your ribs, for now. Take off your shirt." She nodded at him, while helping to take his boots off and then his jeans. "There's a smaller ice pack still in the freezer, I'll get that later to bring down the swelling on your cheek."

Kurt unbuttoned his shirt, gingerly removing it so as not to jolt his torso. He caught Jane looking at the bruises blotting his body, the pain evident in her eyes.

"This isn't your fault, Jane," he said gently as he carefully sat up, reaching for her hand.

She gave him a sad smile. "I know. But they hurt you…"

He squeezed her hand gently, gazing up into her eyes. "I'm still here. Thanks to you."

She leaned down, kissing him softly. "Come on, you need to rest," she whispered.

As if her words had hit home, Kurt did feel the exhaustion creeping in. He hoped that the nausea that he felt bubbling under would pass as he lay down on the bed.

Jane had wrapped the ice pack into a tea towel and placed it gingerly against his ribs, eliciting a wince from him.

"Sorry," she murmured apologetically, tracing a gentle hand over the bruises.

"It's okay."

She kissed him tenderly. "Try to get some sleep. I'm just going to switch off the lights."

Kurt closed his eyes, listening to her receding footsteps.

* * *

Jane woke up a few hours later, noticing that Kurt kept shifting restlessly beside her, constantly changing positions. She was a light sleeper anyway, but with Kurt injured, it seemed her sleep was even lighter than normal.

After listening to him tossing and turning for a while, she was getting worried.

"Kurt?" She asked softly and reached out to place her hand on his arm. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Kurt…"she admonished him gently. "What is it?"

"It's the headache. It woke me up and it's getting worse. And I feel queasy somehow."

Concerned, Jane switched on her bedside lamp and turned back towards him. "Look at me."

He turned to face her with a groan, his features drawn and tired as he gazed at her.

She ran her hand through his hair and down his neck while checking his eyes.

"Well, your pupils look okay."

He squeezed his eyes shut, a hitched breath escaping as he leaned back against the pillow.

She cupped his cheek, her thumb tracing his stubble. "Do you want another painkiller?"

"Can I take one already?"

"I don't see why not. It's been hours since the last one and you haven't had the maximum daily dose."

She squeezed his uninjured hand. "I'll be right back."

Returning a minute later, Jane looked at Kurt, lying on the bed with his eyes closed, and the feeling of anxiety in her chest only grew. His breathing was shallow and his face was pale, despite the bruises covering one side of it.

"Here you go." She sat on the edge of the bed carefully, offering the pill and a glass of water to him as he sat up with a grimace.

"Thanks." He took the medicine and drained the tall glass, drinking almost greedily.

Jane frowned, feeling his forehead as he lay back. He didn't seem feverish to the touch, but he was sweating. "How's the headache?"

"Like someone is using a jackhammer inside my skull."

"Oh, Kurt." She leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to his brow, running her hand through his hair. "The painkiller should kick in soon."

She sat beside him, her hand caressing the back of his gently as she hoped he would fall back asleep.

Probably not five minutes had passed when Kurt's eyes shot open and he scrambled up.

Her heart jumped at the sudden move. "Kurt? What-"

"I'm…I'm gonna be sick," he mumbled as he pushed himself up and stumbled into the bathroom, hunching over the toilet and dropping to his knees as he vomited.

Jane glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table as she got up. Almost five. Watching Kurt throwing up the second time since they had come home from the hospital set alarm bells ringing in her head. The doctor had said that if Kurt started vomiting repeatedly it could be a sign of something more serious like a brain bleed. The fact that his headache was back that strong was also a worrying sign.

She bit down on her lip as she watched him retching and dry heaving, powerless to do much else than run her hand up and down his back, offering a small measure of comfort as she sat beside him on the bathroom floor. Kurt whimpered, his face crunched in pain as he finally stopped heaving. He slumped against the wall, struggling to get air into his lungs.

She held a glass to him so he could rinse his mouth. When he had, she pulled him close and he almost fell into her, the last reserves of his energy clearly drained by the latest episode. He squeezed his eyes shut, moaning quietly.

"Shh." She soothed him, running her hand through his hair as she cradled him against her. She felt the clamminess of his skin from the cold sweat covering him. After a little while his breathing evened again.

They sat there a few minutes as Kurt recovered his strength. He grimaced as he pulled back from her, bringing his arm to his side, guarding it.

Jane moved next to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come on, lets get you back to bed," she whispered softly. She helped him up, quickly wrapping her arm around him as he swayed dangerously as he stood. "Whoa! Easy…"

Kurt groaned, his eyes closed and his mouth a tight line.

"Are you going to be sick?" Jane queried, her voice alarmed.

"No," he blew out a breath. "I just… I just need for the world to stop spinning."

Jane raised a worried "Just hold on to me, okay?" She tightened her arm around him and they slowly made their way back to the bedroom, but not without him swaying like a drunkard a couple of times before she was able to steady him.

She sat him on the bed, and he stayed there with his eyes closed, almost like he was about to sleep sitting up. She noticed he was shivering, so she went to his drawer and got a t-shirt, nudging him gently, indicating he should put it on.

He murmured his thanks and gingerly went to pull it over his head, unable to suppress a hiss of pain as he lifted his arms to slip it on.

"Lie down," Jane carefully helped him lie back before sitting next to him. She took his hand, intertwining their fingers as she gathered her thoughts. "Kurt," she began quietly. She knew he was going to hate what she was about to suggest. "I'm thinking we should go to the ER."

He shook his head, wearily looking up at her. "Jane, no."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to control the emotion in her voice. "You've thrown up twice already, and you said the headache is back."

"No," he shook his head again. "I just need to sleep and it will be alright."

She gave him a sorrowful look. "The doctor said it could be serious, if you start throwing up. I'm worried about you."

"I know you are." The loving look in his eyes made her heart swell. "But they'll just keep us waiting in the noisy ER for hours, when we could just stay home."

She still couldn't shake the worry. She gazed at their intertwined hands, not trusting her voice.

He squeezed her fingers, making her look up at him again. "It's going to be okay."

Despite the concern, she could feel her resolve wavering when she looked at him. And he had a point about waiting in the ER.

"If I throw up again, or if I start showing any other symptoms, then we'll go. Please, honey," he pleaded.

She saw his desperation and knew he hated hospitals, having signed out against medical advice more than once over the years.

Sighing, Jane acquiesced. "Okay, but you need to tell me if the symptoms get worse." She caressed his forehead gently. "Your head still hurting?"

"Yeah."

"You threw up the painkiller I gave you. I'll get you another one."

After Kurt had taken the new one, Jane sat back down next to him, running her hand up and down his arm. "If that doesn't work, you need to tell me."

"I'm sure it will," he mumbled sleepily, his eyes already closed.

"Optimist," she whispered with a smile.

Soon she noticed his breathing deepened, his exhausted body succumbing to the need for rest. She sat beside him a couple of minutes more, quietly observing her sleeping husband. Tired as she was, she knew she couldn't sleep anymore when it was almost morning. So, she got up to make herself a cup of coffee and retrieve her sketchbook, thinking she could do some sketching while she watched over Kurt. They had faced another perilous situation, but it seemed Fate and Fortune had favored them again.

* * *

Kurt woke up to the feeling of a lighter room. He surmised it had to be later, it had still been dark when he fell asleep. He didn't dare open his eyes yet, deciding to assess his situation first. The first thing he noticed, relieved, was that his head wasn't pounding mercilessly anymore. His ribs still hurt, though.

He opened his eyes slowly, squinting for a moment, feeling like the light hurt his eyes. "_Yeah, definitely a concussion," _he mused. Vision in his other eye was still limited because of the swelling, but he could still see something. Looking around the room, he saw Jane sitting in the corner of the room, her sketchbook in her lap. She had a focused looked on her face and she was biting her lip in concentration as she sketched some image from her mind. Kurt couldn't help but smile. He loved watching her. She was so immersed in her sketching that she didn't notice as he stood and carefully took a few steps until he was standing next to her. He felt a bit woozy standing up, but had managed to move without a dizzy spell hitting him. So far so good.

"What are you sketching?" He asked quietly, brushing his hand against her shoulder.

She let out a surprised yelp at his touch. "Don't scare me like that!"

He chuckled. "Sorry."

He saw the worry in her eyes as she looked up at him. "How are you feeling?" She asked, standing up, tracing her fingers lightly over his cheek.

"Okay, I think." He gave noncommittal shrug. "My ribs still hurt but at least I'm not feeling nauseous or dizzy right now."

She gave him a loving look. "That's good. But you still need to take it easy."

He smiled at her, nodding. "What time is it?"

Jane glanced down at her phone. "It's a little after one in the afternoon."

"One? That's quite the nap."

"You need the rest. Your brain took a beating, quite literally," she murmured as she ran her hand through his hair. He couldn't suppress a hiss of pain as she touched a sore spot on his temple. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Patterson called a couple of hours ago."

"Did she say anything about the case?" The moment he had said that he saw her tense up again.

"Kurt, no," her voice held a concerned note as she spoke. "I'm not going to let you do this! You're on medical leave! You're not supposed to do anything mentally straining for at least a few days."

He brought up his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry, sorry."

She took his hands in hers and squeezed them gently as she gazed at him. He hated seeing anxious and he knew he was the cause of it.

"I'm just worried about you," she whispered.

Before he had a chance to speak, Jane continued. "She called to check on you. They're worried, too."

He glanced away.

"She said that _if_ you feel up to it, they could stop by briefly in the evening to see you."

"I'd like that."

"We can see how you feel in a couple of hours." She smiled at him lovingly, before tapping her index finger against his chest. "But _no talking about the case!"_

"Yes ma'am."


	9. Can Lightning Strike Twice?

Here's another badthingshappenbingo fic, the square is Pleading. I wrote this some time ago, but didn't remember to upload it here.

The "how" in this fic is slightly new to me, so it was interesting to write this and research it. Thank you to my beta, once again for betaing this little thing and suggesting the title and small improvements. And thank you eblonde, you pitched the idea to me and helped nudge me forward with this.

* * *

**Can Lightning Strike Twice?**

Kurt rapped smartly on the door of the slightly run-down house. He and Jane were outside the city, in a more rural area, hoping to talk to a hacker who was a person of interest in a case the FBI was investigating.

A woman, maybe in her 60s, answered the door. She looked tired to Kurt, her dark purple cardigan highlighting her pale features. "Yes?" She asked, somewhat timidly.

"Mrs. Wallace?" Kurt asked and the woman nodded in reply. "I'm Special Agent Kurt Weller with the FBI, and this is our consultant, Ms Doe," Kurt began, showing the woman his badge. She peered at his credentials as he continued. "We're looking for your son Elliot, Ma'am. Is he home?"

The woman's eyebrows shot up. "The FBI?" She gave a resigned sign, shaking her head. " Yes, Elliot's home. What has he done now?"

"He might have information relating to a case we are investigating. May we come in?"

"Yes, of course." Mrs. Wallace stepped away from the door, letting Kurt and Jane enter.

The inside of the house was neatly kept, no doubt by the woman they were talking to. Kurt guessed Jane sensed the woman's nervousness, as she spoke to her. "You have a beautiful house, Mrs. Wallace."

The older woman smiled, taken by the compliment. "Thank you. I do my best to maintain it, but at my age, it's not always easy."

"Does your son help you?" Jane continued. Kurt could feel a smile tugging at his lips. Jane always had a way of getting people to relax. She was empathetic and it showed, making it easier for people to talk to her. He was happy to let Jane take the lead here.

Mrs. Wallace gave a small shrug. "Sometimes if I need something done outside or in the barn. He spends most of his time in the basement. He lives down there now. I hope he'd get out more, but he's not the most sociable of people. He was bullied in school, you see, and he didn't socialize much in college either. All he does is sit at his computer all day and look after his snakes. His pets, he calls them. I can't stand them, but they make him happy, so I tolerate it."

Kurt nodded sympathetically at the woman. He understood the woman's worry. Bethany was still little, but still he found himself already worrying about her. He dreaded how much worse it would be when she reached her teens.

"Is he down there now?"

"Yes, he is." Mrs. Wallace walked to a door and opened it to reveal a dark staircase leading down to the basement. Kurt could see a faint light coming from the bottom of the stair.

"Elliot!"

"Yeah?" A distracted voice answered her.

"There are some FBI agents here to see you."

Now the reply sounded almost whiny. "I'm in the middle of something. Tell them to come down here."

The older woman looked almost apologetic, as she switched on a light that lit the stairs dimly. "Go on down. Watch your step, there are some exposed nails by the walls still. He was supposed to renovate the basement but it's been taking him forever."

"Thank you, ma'am." Kurt made his way down the squeaking stairs, Jane behind him. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he saw Elliot Wallace's "man cave" to his left, down a dark and narrow corridor. It had a doorway leading to a bathroom and another open door to what Kurt assumed was storage space.

He entered Elliot's room. It was rather large, maybe a bit shy of 250 square feet. The room held a bed, a couple of bookshelves, what looked like terrariums, and a movable air-conditioner in the corner. But what drew Kurt's attention was the high-end computer set-up the young man had in front of him. He had a few monitors, a couple of keyboards and what looked like server racks.

"Elliot Wallace?"

"Yeah," the young man replied, tapping away at his computer, hardly registering Kurt and Jane's presence.

"My name is Kurt Weller, I'm with the FBI. We need you to come with us. We need to ask you a few questions relating to a hack into the ATF's databases recently."

"No way, man. Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?"

Exasperated that the hacker barely even looked at them, Kurt slammed his hand on the keyboard, drawing a small yelp from the man.

"What did you do that for?! You interrupted the sequence and now I have to start coding all over again."

Kurt just glared at the him. "I don't care…You can come quietly, or we can lead you out of here in handcuffs for your Mom to see."

"Alright, alright. Jeez. Just let me shut down my system."

"Do that. But we're taking your computers with us. They might hold information vital to our investigation."

"Seriously?" Kurt's only reply was another glare. "Okay, fine."

He waited for Wallace to disconnect the CPU's before gesturing at Jane.

"You go with Jane here. I'll bring your computers."

"Come on." Jane smiled at the younger man, trying to soothe his ruffled ego, as Kurt went to gather the two CPU's.

Elliot and Jane went first, and he followed behind them in the dark corridor. Suddenly, he heard Jane cursing under her breath.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just scraped against one of the nails, I think."

"Sorry about that." Elliot mumbled. "I've been meaning to finish the renovation, but it's been kinda slow."

"Yeah, that's what your Mom said."

* * *

Almost an hour later Kurt, Jane and the hacker were sitting in the NYO's interrogation room. Wallace seemed aloof, almost like he had no care in the world. Jane was surprised how calm the young man was.

"Elliot, our specialists are looking through your computer and I can guarantee you, they will connect you to the hack that caused the ATF's storage security system to crash. We wouldn't have come to see you if that wasn't the case." Kurt tried to reason with him.

"If that's the case, why aren't I under arrest?" Came the smug reply.

Kurt didn't deem it fit to reply. Jane felt like shaking her head. The guy was cocky, but he had no idea how good Patterson and her team were.

"You have a better chance of striking a deal if you come forward with the information yourself," she tried in turn. "You're still young. Do you want to spend years in prison for a felony?"

"You have nothing on me."

"We can hold you as a person of interest for a couple of days," Kurt cut in. "Plenty of time for our forensics to connect you to the hacking. Tell us who had you do it, and we'll speak to the U.S. Attorney on your behalf."

Jane could tell Kurt was starting to lose his patience with Wallace's attitude. She was about to back up what Kurt had just said when she suddenly felt terribly nauseous.

"I'll be right back," she said quickly and got up, feeling a cold sweat on her forehead. Kurt gave her a concerned look, but didn't say anything.

Jane got to the corridor and made a beeline for the restroom, just managing to get inside a stall before she lost the contents of her stomach.

She heaved until nothing but bile came up. Finished, she flushed the toilet and slumped down against the wall, sitting on the floor of the stall. She had a cold sweat on her forehead, and she felt wobbly. She sat on the floor for a bit before getting up and making her way to the sink. She rinsed her mouth, and splashed some water on her face. After drying her face she took a deep breath and headed back.

"Hey, you okay?" She almost jumped, startled by Kurt's softly spoken question from behind her.

He was leaning against the corridor wall with his arms crossed, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"Yeah." She walked to him, smiling slightly, hoping to reassure him. "You were right, I shouldn't have eaten the salad from that fast food stand this morning."

He didn't say anything, just raised a questioning eyebrow at her, his forehead creasing.

"I threw up," she confessed.

He brought his hand to cup her cheek, his look growing even more worried. "You sure you're okay? Maybe you should go to the break room and lie down for a bit?"

She couldn't help but smile at his statement. God, she loved him. Case or no case, he always put her first.

"Kurt, it's fine. Just something I ate." She took his hand from her cheek, caressing his knuckles. "How is it going with Wallace?" She asked, hoping to direct his attention back to the case.

Kurt gave her one more evaluating look before he answered. "Right after you left, Patterson came in with something concrete to tie Wallace into the hack. I reminded him he was looking at possibly 10 to 20 years in prison, and he suddenly became rather talkative. He gave us the name of Simon Lawson."

"The arms dealer?"

"The same. Apparently, his plan is to sell the weapons stolen from the ATF storage to one of the Mexican drug cartels operating here in the U.S."

"Right back to the same people the ATF took them from."

"Yeah. We're heading to his villa outside the City. You sure you're okay? Maybe you should –"

"You're not going without me. I'm coming with you."

"How are you feeling?" Kurt glanced at her, taking his eyes off the road. Jane hadn't looked this sick in weeks, not since the ZIP had nearly killed her.

She nodded slightly. "I'm okay. A bit nauseous, but okay." She drew in a breath.

His brow furrowed in concern. "Do you want to go back to the NYO? I could drop you off and take Tasha as back up, if you need to rest."

Jane stared at the road ahead, not looking at him but her tone was soft, almost tired. "No. No. Let's just pick up Lawson and get him to the NYO."

"Alright, if you're sure."

She gave him a small smile. "I'm sure."

* * *

Kurt stopped the SUV a couple of hundred feet short of the gate leading to Lawson's villa. The property itself was surrounded with a ten-foot wall, so there was no way to see inside. He dug out a pair of binoculars to get a detailed look at the gate and its surroundings.

"Looks like there's a single camera by the gate, watching the entryway. No guards by the looks of it. I think we could use a chain attached to the bumper to pull the gate open."

"I don't know, Kurt. We don't have no idea how many of them are there. This could end badly."

"We know Lawson is there. He might not stay for long. We have to take a chance." Kurt argued. He turned to Jane, his gaze softening. He took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, but her voice sounded far from convincing to him, as she closed her eyes and seemingly stomped down on her nausea. "Let's go."

Kurt toggled his comms, telling the other SUV's driver to drive up to the gate, and attach the chain to it. He and Jane would drive straight in as the gate came off its hinges.

A minute later and the gate rattled behind the other SUV, Kurt stepping on the gas of his vehicle as the road was clear.

As they cleared the hedgerow lining the entryway, they were met with rifle fire that kept intensifying. A couple of rounds penetrated the windshield, narrowly missing Kurt. He slammed on the brakes, and opened his door, taking down one of the guards firing at them. He saw Jane jumping out from her side, returning fire with her Tavor rifle from behind her door before she retreated to the back of the SUV.

He joined her at the rear of the car, crouching down for a moment before opening the trunk and retrieving his own M4 rifle. The other SUV had joined them, driving to the other side of a large fountain adorning the yard, the agents exiting and finding cover.

Kurt peeked carefully from behind the vehicle. Drawing back he turned to Jane. "How many do you see?"

"A couple of shooters up on the balcony with rifles, at least one ground level."

He nodded. "I see a couple on the left side, ground level. And I'm thinking at least one more behind the corner, since Nichols and the others are taking fire. There's movement in one of the windows, my guess is it's Lawson and his bodyguard."

Jane nodded. "Yeah. Cover me, I'm gonna find a better position. We need to spread out."

He lay down cover fire as she sprinted and crouched behind the stone base of a small statue. He managed to take down one of the shooters, before he glanced to see her advancing again. He continued firing as he noticed Lawson kneeling by the inside doorway. The man nearest to him focused his fire on Kurt and he had to duck behind the SUV for cover.

Kurt's heart jumped to his throat and his breath caught when he saw Jane drop to the ground.

"JANE!" She didn't answer him. He fired a couple of rounds at Lawson's bodyguard, but he knew he needed to get to Jane, _now._

He looked around to see where the other agents were. "Rose! Diaz! Go after Lawson. Nichols, take the bodyguard. Jane's down, I'm going to her." The other agents replied in the affirmative to his instructions, but it hardly registered. All he saw was Jane, lying unmoving on the pavement behind the fountain.

Kurt sprinted across the road to where Jane was and dropped to his knees. "No! Jane…Jane!" He shook her, trying to rouse her, but she didn't react. He lifted her gently into his arms and undid the Velcro of her body armor with shaking hands, expecting to see them be colored crimson as he stripped the vest away. Not seeing any blood he ran his hands over her body, looking for an entry wound. He knew his voice was unsteady as he spoke into his comms. "Patterson, get an ambulance! Jane's down."

"On it." Patterson's steady voice sounded reassuring to him, slightly easing the panic he felt rising. But his relief was only temporary. He couldn't find any wounds on Jane, but she was unconscious. His mind flashed back to the last time he had held her unconscious in his arms like this, not knowing the reason. He remembered she had complained of a headache a little earlier, before they left the NYO. A feeling of dread filled his mind. What if it was the ZIP again? What if the doctors had been wrong and traces of the drug still remained?

The gunfire from the direction of the building was dying down, the other agents occupied with finishing off the shooters and apprehending their suspect, but Kurt barely noticed. He cradled his wife to his chest, pressing a kiss to her forehead. A note of fear cracked his voice as he whispered softly to her. "Wake up, Jane. Please, wake up."

He ran his hand through her hair slowly, pleading for her to wake up as he silently begged for the medics to get there soon. After a couple of minutes, Jane moaned quietly, her forehead creased.

"Jane, hey." He brought his hand to her cheek, caressing it tenderly. "Open your eyes for me."

"Kurt…" She spoke his name in a pained voice as she opened her eyes.

He squeezed her closer, his tone reassuring. "I'm here. I've got you."

"Kurt, my eyes. I can't see clearly."

He heard the rising panic and urgency in her voice, the words sending ominous chills down his spine. _It couldn't be happening again._ He forced himself to keep his own voice level to calm her. "Shh, it's okay. Help's on the way. It's gonna be okay."

Jane shifted slightly in his embrace, and her body tensed. She closed her eyes, letting out a cry.

Kurt winced in sympathy, as he traced his fingers lightly on her forehead. "Where does it hurt, baby?"

"My…my leg."

"Okay, let me see." He carefully pulled up her pantleg, seeing that her left ankle and foot were swelling. "You must've injured your ankle when you fell."

Jane's face crunched up and she bit her lip, before letting out a long breath and hissing in pain.

He wished there was something he could do to ease her discomfort. He kissed her hair, murmuring to her. "The EMT's will be here soon. It's gonna be okay."

* * *

Kurt had left the other agents to handle the scene and Lawson, following the ambulance to the hospital. The thought that the ZIP might have returned kept gnawing at his insides. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her. The Stanton cells were gone so if this was a reoccurrence, Jane's chances for survival were slim.

He saw the ambulance drive up to the ER's entrance and he steered his car to the nearest parking lot. Slamming the door shut, he jogged into the ER, body armor and all.

He got inside just as the EMT's wheeled Jane into one of the treatment rooms. He was about to follow, when he nearly ran into a nurse stepping in front of him. "Whoa! Where do you think you're going, Agent?"

Kurt was barely able to suppress the scowl on his face, when he took a couple of seconds to assess the smaller woman who had put her palm on his vest to stop him. She was about 5'3", older than him, maybe in her early 50s. Her voice had been firm, but held a sympathetic note. He knew the nurse was just doing her job, so he swallowed his irritation, reining in his temper.

"My wife was just brought in, the EMT's wheeled her into that room there."

"You can't go in there right now. She's in good hands."

Kurt looked at her, feeling a sense of desperation setting in. He _needed _to know if it was the ZIP. "I have to talk to her doctor. It's something that might affect her treatment. I promise I won't interfere with anything. Please."

The nurse's look softened slightly as she looked up at him. "Okay. I'll let you go there. But if you cause _any_ problems, I'll have security throw you out, FBI or not."

"Thank you," he replied quietly. "I won't get in the way."

He made his way to the door and entered. He glanced at Jane, and his worry spiked, when he saw she was barely conscious, moaning quietly in pain. They had cut away her shirt and her tactical pants, the dark tattoos on her skin looking even more pronounced against the white light of the room. The doctor said something to the nurse who was treating Jane with her, as she listened to Jane's lungs.

The doctor looked up, giving Kurt a slightly puzzled look. "Can I help you, Agent…."

"Weller. Kurt Weller. Can I have a word with you, doctor?"

She stepped away from Jane, leading Kurt outside the room.

"Yes?"

He closed his eyes briefly, trying to stamp out the feeling of fear at the back of his mind about what he was about to say. "The woman you're treating, she's my wife. I need you to test her for ZIP, Zeta-Interacting-Protein."

The doctor looked puzzled. "I faintly remember hearing about that, but I don't understand how it's relevant."

"Jane was exposed to a large dose of it previously and she only recently recovered. She was sick earlier today, complaining of headaches and then she passed out. When we were waiting for the EMT's she complained of her eyesight being blurry." He let out a shuddering breath, the weight on his chest feeling almost overwhelming. "She had all those symptoms before, and they were caused by ZIP. Please, doctor. Run the test, I'm asking you."

"Okay, I'll ask the nurse to rush the bloodwork and also test for ZIP."

"Thank you."

* * *

The doctor had allowed Kurt to stay with Jane, as they waited for the lab results. His anxiety increased as Jane started to complain that she had trouble breathing. The nurse put Jane on additional oxygen, as Kurt sat beside her, caressing her hand and talking to her quietly. The one thing that worried both her doctor and him, if he was honest, was the swelling in her leg. Since arriving at the hospital, the swelling had spread to Jane's calf and her foot, stretching the patterns of her tattoos. She was becoming increasingly distressed, clearly in pain. It wasn't a symptom associated with ZIP and it had Kurt worried.

"Kurt…"She whimpered quietly, opening her eyes, casting a pleading look at him.

His heart shattered all over again. Once more, his wife was suffering and there was hardly anything he could do. He reached out, stroking her hair gently. "I'm right here."

She squeezed her eyes shut, groaning. "My leg feels like someone is tearing the muscles apart."

He leaned in, kissing her forehead softly. "You'll get something for the pain soon. Won't be long, I promise. Try to rest." he murmured against her. She closed her eyes, but reached for his hand.

"I'll stay right here," he assured her, pulling a chair next to the bed and sitting down. He felt the all-too-familiar feeling of helplessness on his shoulders again, as he began another vigil by Jane's side.

Twenty minutes later, her doctor came in, stepping beside her bed. Kurt got up slowly, careful not to disturb Jane who had just dozed off. His heart was pounding, fearing the news.

The doctor gave him a reassuring look. "It's not ZIP."

Kurt let out a relieved chuckle. "Thank God." Casting a loving look at Jane he continued. "Can you give her something for the pain, please?"

The doctor nodded, smiling at him. "I'll tell the nurse to start her with pain medication now that we know it's not ZIP. However, there are some anomalies in her bloodwork." She leaned in to inspect Jane's leg closer, peering at the tattoos. Suddenly her eyebrow shot up, and she took a small gauze pad, placing it against the black tattoo on Jane's ankle. "I know this might seem like an absurd question, but is there any chance she might have been bitten by a snake?" She turned to Kurt, showing him the white gauze, and the two crimson tracks on it, before pointing at Jane's ankle. "There? See those?"

Now it all clicked in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut at the painful realization, before glancing at his sleeping wife. "Yeah. We, erm, we took a person of interest into custody about 3 hours ago. He keeps snakes. Maybe one of them got loose."

"Is there any way you can find out what kind of snake it might have been? I'll have your wife started on some IV fluids and pain medication, but the sooner we get the antivenom going, the smaller the chance of permanent damage."

Kurt nodded. Now,he could actually do something. "I'll step out to call my office, and tell my team to interview the owner of the snakes."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Okay. I'll go notify the nurses, have them contact the local zoo that usually stocks the antivenoms. After we get the treatment started, we can transfer your wife to a ward."

* * *

Kurt was gripping the steering wheel of the SUV so hard his knuckles were white. Jane was in the hospital and he had just driven into the NYO garage. After calling Patterson and asking her to talk to Elliot Wallace, it turned out the hacker refused to speak to anyone but him.

He couldn't leave Jane alone at the hospital. Not right now, not when it seemed that her condition seemed to be getting worse; she was getting more and more anxious, the pain increasing as the snake venom spread. So, he had asked for Zapata to come stay with Jane as he headed back to the NYO.

When he got to SIOC, Patterson and Rich were already waiting for him by the elevator.

"How's Jane?" Patterson asked, her tone worried.

"Not good. She needs that antivenom." Kurt was already walking to the hallway where the interrogations rooms were.

"Wallace is waiting for you in the interrogation room. I need to head to the lab, but Reade will be observing in the next room."

"Good. Rich, I want you to come with me. If he mentions any of the hacking related things, I might need your expertise."

Rich grinned. "At your service. Even if he did breach the ATF's protocol's, he made an amateurish mistake because –,"

"Rich! Not now," Kurt barked at the dark web genius.

"Right. Sorry." Rich replied quickly, noticing how on edge Kurt was.

Entering the room, Kurt gave the young hacker an icy stare and sat down across the table from him. Wallace smiled, the look on his face almost gloating. He leaned on his uncuffed hands resting on the table.

"You said you would only talk to me. Talk."

"How long will you keep me here? After all, I'm going to be your star witness against Lawson?"

Kurt leaned in closer, his voice dropping as he spoke "You are an accomplice, who committed a felony. Witness or not, you are going to prison just the same."

"Well, it's not my fault if the federal government is so stupid that they can't even keep their software up-to-date, so that anyone can exploit the vulnerabilities. Besides, that so-called firewall was a joke." Wallace laughed.

Kurt sat back, crossing his arms across his chest. He drew in a deep breath, feeling his irritation growing. This was starting to feel like a waste of his time, this guy was just stalling. "I'm not interested in your hacking exploits right now. Tell me what kind of snakes you have."

The hacker ignored him, droning on. "I mean they are using a server from 2010! That's like an open invitation."

Kurt clenched his jaw, now squarely staring at the man, feeling his patience running thin.

Rich must have noticed his irritation since he spoke up suddenly. "I hear what you're saying, and I agree, the feds can be so behind the times. But right now, I'd do as he asks."

"My snakes? Why would you want to know about my pets?" Wallace asked nonchalantly.

Kurt's words came out clipped. "Because we think at least one of them might be loose."

"Snakes are such fascinating animals. Did you know that the venom of the most venomous snake in the world, the inland taipan, is lethal enough to kill 100 grown men with a single bite?"

Kurt rose from his chair and hauled Wallace up by his shirt, slamming him against the wall, his arm pressing down on the younger man's throat.

He heard the chair scrape behind him. Then he felt Rich's hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him back. "Weller…let him…let him go," Rich tried, but his voice lacked conviction.

"Back off, Rich!" Kurt growled, shaking Rich's hand off his shoulder.

" Okay." The older hacker turned on his heels nervously. "Reade…Patty.. you better get in here."

Kurt ignored him, giving Wallace a death glare. The young man's eyes were wide with fear as he looked at him.

"I can't breathe," he sputtered, trying to dislodge Kurt's arm from his throat.

"Listen to me. One of your precious pets bit my wife today! I am not in the mood for trivia. You've got about ten seconds to tell what venomous snakes you have," he snarled and slightly let up the pressure.

He saw Reade enter the room in his peripheral vision, and felt a strong hand grip his shoulder, pulling him back. "Weller, let him go. He's no help to Jane if he's dead."

Kurt released his hold, and the hacker slumped on the floor, gasping for air.

"Talk!"

"I've got a couple of kingsnakes, they're harmless. Then I have a copperhead, a timber rattlesnake and a Mojave rattlesnake."

Reade spoke up, "Do you have permits for them? We have snake specialists going to your house to collect the snakes."

"No, I got the venomous ones online off an auction site for snake enthusiasts. The Mojave is a rarity, it's a rattler that doesn't have its rattle. Please don't kill it."

Kurt cursed in his mind, digging out his phone and dialing the hospital as he left the room.

* * *

Jane groaned, whatever remains of sleep she had being chased away by the pain. After they had started her on the antivenom, her breathing had slowly improved, but it did nothing to help with the pain. They had given her a shot to make her more comfortable, but it was wearing off.

She didn't know how long it had been since the last one. It felt like she had dozed off just minutes ago as the agony let up, allowing her to sleep. But now it was getting stronger again, like a branding iron held to her body, the white, hot pain racing up from her leg to every nerve in her body. She couldn't escape it, retreat into her mind, even though she wanted to. But this wasn't something from the outside, it was constant and all consuming.

"Jane. Hey." Kurt's familiar voice called to her. She heard the worry in his tone, and opening her eyes, she saw the concern and pain in his eyes. He cupped her cheek, and she leaned into the comforting touch. He had not left her side ever since returning from the NYO some hours ago. He had explained that she had been bitten by one of Wallace's snakes and that was causing her symptoms. She had seen the tears glistening his eyes, as he told her he had feared it was the ZIP returning as she had passed out during the raid. Her heart contracted painfully, as she understood how horrifying it must have been for him.

"Kurt,–" she began, but her words were cut off as her body tensed when another blowtorch carved at her insides.

"Hold on," he spoke as he reached for the buzzer beside her bed. He took her hand, bringing it to his lips as they waited for the nurse. Her breathing came almost in gasps as she rode out the feeling that tore at her. She closed her eyes, biting her cheek to try and suppress a moan.

The nurse came in, but all Jane could do was look at Kurt, silently asking for his help. He squeezed her hand gently. "Can you give her something more for the pain, please?" He addressed the nurse. "The last one has worn off and she's in agony."

The older woman looked at Jane's chart and then gave her a sympathetic look, speaking to Kurt with a soft tone. "I wish I could, but I'm afraid the earliest she can have the next one is in an hour and a half. Otherwise there is a risk of respiratory arrest. I'm sorry." She noted something onto the chart and left, leaving Jane and Kurt alone in the room again.

Resigned, Jane sank into the pillows and drew in a shuddering breath.

"Jane…"

Not even opening her eyes, she shook her head slightly. "Kurt, I can't…," she whispered in a pained voice, fighting to keep her composure.

"Come here," she heard Kurt murmur, as he sat beside her on the bed, tenderly enfolding her in his arms.

She pressed her cheek into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. "God, it hurts!" She whimpered.

He stroked her hair, his lips brushing her temple. "I know, baby. I'm sorry."

As the next episode hit, Jane felt like someone had stuck a red-hot knife into her stomach and was now twisting it. A sob escaped her, hot tears running down her cheeks, soaking Kurt's shirt as she buried herself deeper into his embrace, grasping his shirt.

He rocked her ever so gently in his arms, speaking softly into her ear. "Shh…think of a nice cozy cabin. A quiet evening by the fire, just the two of us…Everything's gonna be okay."

* * *

Jane had spent a little over a week in the hospital. It had taken multiple doses of the antivenom before the effects of the venom started to lessen. Her leg was still swollen, but not as bad as it had been at its worst, almost resembling something from the "Elephant Man". The snake wranglers had caught Wallace's "pet"; it had turned out to be his precious Mojave rattlesnake.

Unfortunately for Jane, the Mojave's was one of the most potent rattlesnake venoms. She had spent the first couple of days in excruciating pain, even opiates failing to ease it for more than a few hours at a time. Kurt had been her constant solace, her anchor through it all. They say that the presence and touch of a loved one can act as a painkiller, and Jane believed it. His touch had helped her weather the agony. It hadn't removed it, but at least it soothed the pain when the drugs ceased to work.

Gradually, as the antivenom worked, so had the medication. Jane had been able to sleep more and more, although still on strong painkillers. She would still need them for a few weeks, even at home, along with crutches, but she was slowly improving. A week into her stay in the hospital, she had finally convinced Kurt to go home to sleep, arguing that she would feel better if she knew he wouldn't wreck his back by sleeping in an awkward position in the chair. He had spent a couple of nights in her bed, holding her, but she knew he didn't sleep much. She understood his reluctance, knowing Kurt had feared it was the ZIP again. The wounds were still too fresh for him. But she had gently told him that she spent most of the days sleeping anyway, her body still recovering from the strain of it all, the effects of the ZIP still lingering, snakebite or not.

And that's how Kurt found her, sleeping, as he entered her room. He had spent half the day working at the NYO, before calling it a day and heading to the hospital. He stood beside the bed, simply taking her in. Jane looked calm, her features relaxed, nothing but the IV in her hand telling of the ordeal she had again endured.

Kurt reached out and softly caressed her forehead. She stirred at his touch, opening her eyes slightly.

"Hey," he whispered tenderly.

"Hey," Jane mumbled, not fully awake.

"How are you feeling?"

She opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times.

"Tired."

Kurt chuckled affectionately, and sat down in the chair beside the bed. "So I see," he smiled. "But sleep is the best medicine for you right now." He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.

Jane turned her head, meeting his eyes and smiling back at him. "The doctor said I could go home in a few days, if my lab results keep improving."

Kurt grinned at that. "That's great news!"

"Yeah, it is." Her face grew serious, and she intertwined their fingers. Her voice was filled with emotion as she spoke. "Kurt, thank you for taking care of me."

"Jane…" He rose from the bed and pulled her into his embrace.

"I know this hasn't been easy for you," she murmured into his chest.

He tightened his arms around her, pressing his lips into her hair. "There's no place I'd rather be."


	10. Good Intentions

_A/N_: New year, new fic. This fic basically started from a scene I had in my head, essentially the first 10 lines of the fic: Kurt barging inside a cabin with Jane bleeding in his arms, and him calling out to Rich.

Thank you to kate-dammit-run for giving me the nudge to write it, and not letting it how around as a plot bunny. A big thank you to Indelible Evidence in helping me with a major storyline issue, and to eblonde for listening to me ramble on about this fic. And as always, my heartfelt thanks to my lovely beta.

This my Bad Things Happen Bingo square for **Communications Suddenly Cut Off. **The timeline is somewhere post s4: they team is back in the good graces of the FBI and they have their lives back.

* * *

**Good Intentions**

The door gave an ominous creak as Kurt pushed his back against it in his rush to get inside.

"Hey! Weller, what the…" Rich's question died on his lips as he took in the sight in front of him as Kurt entered the cabin where he and Patterson had set up their mobile command post.

Kurt was cradling Jane in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Her eyes had a glazed look, lines of pain creasing her forehead, a couple of streaks of blood on her face. Kurt's hands were covered in blood, the same crimson color covering most of her gray shirt.

"Rich, get the medkit!" Kurt asked, hearing the quiver and urgency in his own voice. His heart was racing in his chest, feeling the pressure constrict every muscle in his body.

Jane moaned in pain. The sound tugged at his heart as he tried to soothe her, nuzzling her cheek tenderly. "Shh…It's okay."

But it wasn't. Jane was bleeding out in his arms, the one dressing on her side already saturated with blood.

"Oh my God! Jane…" Patterson gasped, taking a step back as Kurt pushed past her and into the bedroom of the small cabin.

"Patterson, get a chopper…" he choked out, meeting his friend's eyes, seeing his own fear reflected in them. Patterson nodded and went to make the call.

"Hang on, Jane," he murmured to her, as he gently laid her on the bed, kneeling next to it.

"Here." Rich came in with the medical bag, uncharacteristically subdued. The last time Kurt had seen him like this was when they got him out of the black site. "What happened?"

"Open that." Kurt tossed a combat dressing package at Rich, before grabbing a pair of trauma shears and cutting Jane's shirt open. His hands were shaking.

"Mercy Flight is on its way," Patterson called out from the living room.

Jane groaned as he peeled the shirt and soaked dressing away, and pressed his hand against the bleeding wound. Blood seeped through his fingers, making him press down harder to stem the flow. He could smell the metallic tang of it. Jane cried out, the sound forcing Kurt to blink as his vision became clouded with his own tears. She reached down, trying to remove his hand, but he stopped her, gently grabbing hers. "No, no…don't." He leaned close, murmuring apologetically, "It hurts, I know. I'm sorry."

Taking the bandage from Rich, he placed the gauze pad on the wound, trying to wrap the bandage around Jane. Rich stepped closer, carefully supporting her as Kurt secured the bandage. As they helped her lie back down Kurt noticed the clamminess of her skin, how pale she was. Her eyes were closed, her brow furrowed.

Kurt glanced at the hacker, feeling a flash of anger as he recounted the events. "They knew we were coming. They were waiting." He gave Jane a loving look, stroking her cheek softly, hoping that his touch could ease her suffering. "The moment we got attacked, we lost our comms to you: they must've had a jammer. Diaz got hit in the arm first, and then Nichols went down…I tried to get to him but I couldn't, so Jane ran out from her position to drag him to safety. And that's when she got hit in the side."

He saw the moment in his mind's eye again, felt the paralyzing panic_. _

_She fell right as she'd gotten Nichols behind cover._

"_Jane! JANE!" _

_She lifted her head slightly at his call, lazily fumbling at her vest before sinking back down. Something was wrong. Had the vest failed? If she'd taken one in the plates like Nichols had, she'd be returning fire, or at least sitting up. Instead she just lay motionless on the ground. _

_Fear gripped at Kurt's heart: all he knew at that moment, was that he needed to get to his wife. Braving the fire coming from inside the house, he zig-zagged to where she lay._

"_No…Jane…Jane," the desperate incantation burst forth as he dropped to his knees next to her._

_She moaned, making eye contact with him. Kurt could see the same anxiety in her eyes that he had in his heart. She was scared._

_He grabbed her vest with shaking hands, frantically tearing open the Velcro straps. A strangled gasp escaped him when he saw the spreading crimson stain in Jane's side. _

A shudder brought Kurt back to the present. He swallowed thickly. "The only critical place not covered by the vest…." He shook his head. "Our comms were down, and I couldn't reach you. I knew I had to get her here, if I wanted her to live."

Jane opened her eyes at that moment, reaching for him.

Kurt locked eyes with her, hoping she didn't hear the quiver in his voice as he tried to smile. "I'm right here." He squeezed her hand, noticing how cold it was.

Rich stood, grabbing his shoulder. "I'm gonna go outside, wait for Mercy Flight and bring them in."

Kurt glanced at him "Thanks, Rich."

The hacker's eyes held a warm, sympathetic look. He nodded, smiling softly at Jane before leaving.

Kurt sat on the bed, gingerly pulling Jane into his embrace. She whimpered at the movement, the sound ripping at his heart. "Shh...shh." He, shushed her tenderly.

She leaned into him, seeking his warmth as he felt her shiver. She moaned again, the pain of her wound flaring.

Kurt inhaled a shallow breath, his throat suddenly parched. He felt so helpless: his wife was hurting, and even with all his training, all he could do was to hold her and pray for help to get there. He swallowed the lump in his throat, kissing her temple.

He wrapped a throw from the bed around her carefully with one hand, as his other one cradled her to his chest. She gripped his shirt weakly, clinging to him. At that moment, she seemed so fragile, so weak. He stroked her hair softly, her pained, choppy breaths warm against his skin. "I've got you, baby. Just lie still. Everything's gonna be okay."

* * *

Jane woke to the feeling of Kurt's fingers stroking her cheek. She moaned sleepily, letting him know she was awake, but didn't open her eyes yet. She inhaled deeply before opening her eyes and blinking a few times.

Kurt leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Hey."

"Hey," she mumbled in reply.

She had been home for a couple of days now, after spending almost two weeks in the hospital. The bullet that had managed to find a gap in her body armor had entered her side and travelled through her body, leaving damage in its wake. It had torn her intestine and lacerated her liver, requiring emergency surgery.

Kurt smiled at her, keeping his voice low as he spoke. "I made us a late lunch. You need to eat so that you can take your meds."

She nodded, wincing as she sat up against the headboard. "I don't know why I'm so tired. It feels like all I do is sleep."

He ran his hand through her hair, his tone serious. "Your body went through a massive ordeal again. You need the rest."

Jane looked into Kurt's eyes, seeing the worry in them. He had spent days sitting beside her bed as he had when the ZIP poisoning had ravaged her body, being her rock, her touchstone. The love she felt for him, it was something she could never put adequately into words. "I know…but still."

Kurt leaned in to wrap his hand around her shoulders to help her up. "Come on, you need to eat if you want to regain your strength."

* * *

"You okay?" Kurt tilted his head questioningly, his look warm as he observed Jane from the other side of the table.

She smiled at him softly. "Yeah." She had managed to eat a little, but she knew Kurt could tell her appetite wasn't what it used to be. "It's just the medication. Makes me queasy."

Kurt's brow furrowed as he reached for her hand across the table. "You have to try and eat." His thumb caressed the back of her hand. "If you don't, it'll be worse. They're strong meds."

She nodded, squeezing his hand. "I know." The warmth she felt for him in her heart nearly made it burst. How had she gotten so lucky that he loved her, that even after everything he was still by her side? She didn't know, but what she did know was that she would never want to lose it. She gazed into his blue eyes, feeling like she could see all of him. There were no walls between them. "Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me."

Kurt simply smiled at that, before getting up and clearing away their plates.

"What do you say if we get you settled on the couch and watch a movie?" He asked as he loaded the dishwasher.

Jane jumped at the chance. "I'd like that." Injured as she was, staring at the bedroom walls would drive her crazy eventually. From the couch she could see out the window, and out into the city.

She got up, unable to suppress a groan as the movement telegraphed pain all over the surgery incision in her abdomen.

"Careful," Kurt admonished her gently as he wrapped his arm around her back and helped her over to the couch, easing her to lie down.

Jane grimaced at the tension in her body again. As Kurt was about to move away, she gripped his fingers, tugging at them. She knew he had meant to give her space on the couch but she needed him close. "I want you here."

"Alright. Scoot over."

He grabbed the TV remote and the tablet before settling at the end of the couch, Jane's head resting on a pillow in his lap. His proximity and his touch on her skin made her feel safe and loved.

They started the movie, a sci-fi action flick, and Jane enjoyed it. Despite her best efforts, an hour into the film Kurt's soothing caress of her side and the warmth of his body surrounding her proved too much, and she fell asleep.

* * *

Jane stirred, letting out a restless sound as her body instinctively tensed against the unexpected touch.

"Shh, it's okay." Kurt's gentle whisper permeated the sleepy fog in her brain just as his strong arms tightened around her and he lifted her against his chest. Barely aware of her surroundings, her muscles relaxed at the tender tone, her mind slowly computing she was safe, with no danger lurking around. "Go back to sleep." His lips brushed her forehead.

She vaguely registered it as he set her down onto the mattress. He shushed her softly as he tucked the duvet around her, his voice soothing an inexplicable feeling of anxiety she had. Almost asleep, she leaned into his touch when he stroked her cheek. "Sweet dreams, baby."

* * *

Jane smiled as she pushed the elevator button to their floor, feeling more energetic than she had in ages. It was her third week recovering at home. When the doctors had sent her home to recover, they told her to rest and to slowly start increasing the level of activity as she felt better.

She had gone on a couple of short walks with Kurt, but she still tired rather easily and they had returned home. That was last week. Today, Kurt had gone to the NYO, and Jane could feel the cabin fever set in. She'd had to get out of the apartment.

But it would still be weeks before she'd be going back to work.

Opening the door, she shrugged out of her jacket and threw her keys on the breakfast bar. She frowned, noticing Kurt's keys on the desk.

"Kurt?" She called out as she went to get a drink. Hearing his footsteps behind her, she filled her glass from the tap. "I thought you'd still be at the NYO. Did–?"

"Where the hell have you been, Jane?"

Kurt's tone made the hair at the back of her neck stand up. He sounded angry.

She slammed the glass on the counter, her irritation and anger surfacing. _What is his problem?_ She turned around to face him, intending to reply to him in kind, but upon seeing the look on his face, her anger vanished.

He was looking at her wide-eyed, his eyebrows raised, and he was clutching his phone in his hand. The words she'd heard had sounded angry, but all she saw was fear and concern on his face.

She swallowed before replying, pushing the irritation away. "I went for a walk in the park," she told him calmly.

"Alone? Jane, you're still recovering! What if something had happened?"

Jane could feel the tension and worry radiating off him. She stepped up to him, smiling reassuringly as she brought her hand up to stroke his jaw tenderly. "Kurt, I'm fine."

The hurt look in his eyes tugged at her heart. "You should've called me," he replied, anxious.

"My phone is still somewhere in the woods, remember?"

His look told her that he was mentally berating himself for not getting her a new phone yet. Her phone had apparently dropped from her pocket, as Kurt had carried her to the cabin to call for help, and in the weeks that had followed, it had slipped their minds.

Jane caressed his cheek, gazing into his eyes. "I knew you had your hands full at the NYO, and that I would be fine if I took it slow. I didn't want to worry you." She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, running her hand up and down his back, hoping to calm him.

His reply came out as a shuddering breath, his look pained. "I almost had a heart attack, finding the apartment empty."

"I thought I'd be back before you got home." She broke eye contact, feeling contrite. "I'm sorry."

Kurt wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against his chest. She melted into the warm embrace, wrapping her arms around him.

He nuzzled her, murmuring, "You don't need to apologize. Just, please don't do that again."

She simply nodded against him, feeling safe and loved in her husband's arms.


	11. Keepsake

Hey! Time for another angsty badthingshappenbingo fic. The prompt is **Survivor's Guilt ** and it was requested by my dear fellow whumper, eblonde. Here you go! 😊

Thanks also to Indelible Evidence and my beta for listening to me going over the details of this fic and for helping me with it.

This is slightly canon divergent for 4x12. Jane has been given the stem cells, but did not experience a miracle recovery (you might notice this is a pet peeve of mine), and is still in the hospital.

TW for character death mention.

* * *

**Keepsake**

"Go home, Kurt. I'll be fine for a few hours." Jane gave her husband a tired, if reassuring, smile. "Patterson will keep me company."

Patterson nodded from the door. "Yeah, I will. If you feel like it, I can fill you in on Rich's antics."

"Oh God…"Jane chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Sure."

But Kurt didn't move from his seat beside her bed, still holding her cold hand in his warmer one, shaking his head in refusal. He merely gazed at her, the softness and love in his eyes giving her a warm feeling somewhere deep inside her.

She understood Kurt's reluctance to leave her. They had given her the stem cell-synthesized infusion just the previous day, and she was still weak, tiring easily. The doctors had removed most of the cables and monitors, only a small puncture mark remaining at the back of her hand where the IV had been.

Jane squeezed Kurt's hand, looking into his blue eyes. She had regained her eyesight sometime overnight and it was almost back to normal. She saw the dark circles under his eyes, and the lines of worry still sitting on his brow. She was worried about him, too. "Kurt...I'll probably be sleeping anyway. Go. Get some proper rest. Please."

"Okay." He murmured as his lips brushed her cheek lightly, the stubble on his face tickling the skin of her nose. "But I'll be back at five."

Jane smiled at him, brushing her thumb over his knuckles before letting go of his hand. Kurt exchanged a few quiet words with Patterson, before leaving the two women alone in the room.

Patterson approached the bed, giving Jane a bright smile as she sat down in the chair next it. "How are you, Jane?"

She met Patterson's eyes, wondering how she could ever show her the depth of the gratitude she felt. "Getting better, thanks to you. Still tired, but I can see again, and it's easier to breathe." It was the truth, or most of it anyway. She didn't want to worry her friend with news of the headaches and painful muscle spasms that still plagued her as the ZIP left her system. Kurt and the medical staff knew, but she did not want for her friends to feel sorry for her.

"That's great news. I'm glad."

"You and Rich…how did you find the book?"

Patterson went on to explain what clues Roman had left them, and how they ended up in Peru, of all places. How they had cracked the hit about the door's pattern and then ended up posing as newlyweds to get their hands on the book that the hypochondriac billionaire wanted so badly.

The mention of Roman and his clues gave Jane a pang deep in her chest, remembering the message Kurt had read to her, and realizing how he had saved his sister's life from beyond the grave. The sadness soon passed and she found herself laughing when listening to Patterson's story about Rich convincing the elderly hotel owner to give them a room.

"I can't believe Rich passed you off as newlyweds." Jane laughed, as Patterson finished telling her the story.

"Yeah, tell me about it. But it all worked out in the end."

Jane nodded, desperately trying to suppress a yawn but failing.

"It's okay, Jane. You can rest," her friend assured her.

"I just feel I shouldn't. Since you're here."

Patterson gave her an almost exasperated look, knowing her too well. "You're just as stubborn as Weller. Look, don't worry about it. Your body has been through hell, you need the rest. I have my phone and my tablet, so I can work remotely while you sleep."

"Mmmh, I guess we are kinda similar." Jane acknowledged wryly, before yawning again. "But I suppose you have a point." She closed her eyes, and it did not take many minutes before her exhaustion won out, again.

* * *

Jane groaned as she awoke. One of the muscles in her side felt like it was fluttering, not quite cramping. She inhaled sharply before slowly letting out a slow exhale, the sensation passing. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times, before focusing on Patterson.

"Did you have a good nap?" Patterson smiled.

"Yeah." She could feel the familiar self-recrimination returning again. "I'm sorry I'm such lousy company right now."

"Jane, stop. You have to show some mercy on yourself." Patterson spoke softly, before grinning. "Don't worry, you'll be kicking Kurt's butt at the gym again in no time."

Jane chuckled at that. "What time is it?"

"It's about four thirty."

"Already? Wow. That was quite the nap then."

Patterson just nodded with a smile on her face.

"Look, Patterson, you don't have to stay here all day. I'm sure you have other things to do."

"You sure about that? I promised Kurt I'd stay with you until he got back."

"Yeah, I'm sure. He's going to be back soon; I can manage a half an hour alone_._" Jane could see her friend's hesitation. "Patterson, go. I'll be fine."

"Okay. I need to check on something in the lab anyway."

Jane smiled. "Want to make sure Rich hasn't reprogrammed your system?"

"Now that you mention it, good point." Patterson stood up from the chair, packing the tablet into her bag. "Oh, there's something I meant to give you." She opened a small pocket and fished out what looked like a medallion. She pressed it into Jane's palm and Jane realized what it was.

_It's not a medallion, it's a coin…our coin._ Jane stared at the object in her hand, dumbfounded. "How did you…"

Patterson spoke quietly. "It was one of the clues, and technically it _is_ evidence. But the case relating to it, to the ZIP, is solved now so I thought you should have it. It belongs to you."

Jane let out a shuddering breath, deeply touched by the gesture. "Thank you, Patterson."

Her friend leaned in and hugged her gently. "You're welcome."

She pulled away and reached for her bag, hoisting in onto her shoulder. "Take your time and recover your strength, Jane. We're looking forward to having you back again."

"Thank you, Patterson. For everything you've done."

"Don't mention it. I'll see you later."

Jane smiled softly at her, feeling lucky to have such a friend. "Yeah. Bye."

With a wave from the door, Patterson left Jane alone with her thoughts.

Jane looked at the coin in her hand, tracing her thumb over the contours of the seal. It brought back so many memories, both good and bad. Mostly of Roman. She remembered, now _truly_ remembered, glimpses of their childhood: when they had been Alice and Ian, living a carefree life with their parents, before everything changed and their lives were turned upside down. She remembered times at the orphanage and with Shepherd. God, she missed Roman. Despite of what people thought or said, he had always been the more vulnerable one of them. But still, after all the things that he had done and what had happened, she refused to believe he was a sociopath. No, it had been the years of abuse and manipulation that had affected him. And despite it all, she still loved him. Missed him. He didn't deserve to die like he did, bleeding out on a hilltop in South Africa, tears trailing down his cheeks. If anything, it should have been _her_. She had failed him too, had used him just like Shepherd had.

Jane squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will away the pain in her heart. _I'm sorry, Roman. I'm so sorry. _She closed her fist around the coin. It was the only concrete reminder she had of him. The feel of the coin in her palm dragged out another memory from the recesses of her mind:

_They were huddled together on the floor of the orphanage. "Take it."_ _She told him quietly as she pressed the coin into his hand. He had tears on his cheeks, and he squeezed his fist shut tightly around the coin. _She could remember how she had pulled him against her, remembered him sobbing how he couldn't take it anymore, how he wanted to go home. Even when they both knew that home was gone.

Tears blurred Jane's vision and she couldn't hold back the pained whimper that escaped, the ache in her heart now almost robbing her of air. _Parents are supposed to die before you, at an old age, it's the way that life goes. But siblings, they're supposed to be the longest relationship you have through life. You know the same things, same secrets and quirks ever since childhood. You share memories that no one else knows._

She had been robbed of both her parents and her brother.

"Roman…why…why did it have to be you, and not me?" She spoke to the emptiness of the room, before she curled up on her side and buried her face into her pillow, tears slowly trailing down her cheeks.

* * *

Kurt entered Jane's room, not prepared for the sight that greeted him. Oblivious to his entry, she was lying on her side and her shoulders were shaking.

_She's crying. Oh no, please don't tell me the doctors told her that the effects of the ZIP are irreversible. _

He rushed to his wife's side, reaching out to touch her hair softly. "Hey…hey. Jane….What's wrong?"

It seemed like his tenderness only made her cry harder. "Why….. him… and not….not me?" Jane sputtered out through her tears.

Kurt sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Jane into his arms, hugging her to him. She leaned her cheek into his chest, her tears absorbed by his shirt as she clung to him, her distress increasing. That's when he saw the coin, clutched in her hand. "_Roman's coin….Oh, Jane." _

Kurt's heart was in shreds, seeing how tormented Jane was. He squeezed her close, rocking her as he tried to soothe her. "Jane….shhh." He stroked her hair, hoping his touch would help. "Roman's death was not your fault," he murmured softly.

"In the orphanage…I… I should've…should've protected him…I failed him. He was just a child."

Her words were like a gut punch to Kurt. In the absence of their parents, Jane believed it had been her responsibility to protect him, even as she had faced the same horrors of the orphanage as her brother. "So were you," Kurt said gently. "No one should've ever put you in that position." He wished he knew what to do, what to say to take away her pain as she let out another cry and shook her head, as if refusing to acknowledge his words.

Jane's cries were gradually turning into desperate sobs, as she spoke through the tears. "If I had managed to…to keep him safe and away from Shepherd's influence…maybe then he wouldn't have done all the terrible things he did…killing those people…killing Emma. I failed. I'm sorry, Kurt."

The mention of Emma Shaw cut through him like a knife. As much as he loved Emma, he couldn't, wouldn't, blame his wife for her brother's actions.

He covered her hand holding the coin with his own, squeezing gently. "Jane, it was _not_ your fault. It was Shepherd's. She manipulated you, and had an even tighter grip on Roman."

"But I planned much of the tattoo clues…I'm the one… who decided to… to ZIP myself, and I ZIPped Roman." She gasped out, nearly hyperventilating now. "I killed him! I'm the one… who….who should have died."

Kurt shook his head vehemently as he held her, feeling the moisture in his own eyes, tears threatening to spill over. "Don't say that," he ground out, his voice quivering. "Please don't." He couldn't bear the thought, not now: not after everything.

Jane's breathing was becoming increasingly more irregular, and Kurt knew he had to try and calm her down. He climbed on the bed, tucking her head tenderly against the crook of his neck. "You have to slow down your breathing, Jane," he urged." Shhh, it's okay. Just breathe. Breathe with me." He took a few deep breaths and exhaled slowly, hoping to get Jane to follow the same pattern. Gradually, her cries quieted into choppy breaths and her exhaustion started to take over. "There you go," he murmured.

As she calmed, he continued speaking quietly. " Jane, listen to me. Roman's death was not your fault. As long as I've known you, all that you've done has been to help him. You did more than anyone could ever ask. Blaming yourself is not going to change things. Please don't think you deserved to die."

He felt her nod.

Suddenly, her body tensed against him, and she let out a hard breath through her teeth. He looked down at her, agony clear of her face. He trailed his fingers delicately down her cheek, the familiar sinking feeling back in the pit of his stomach. "What's wrong?"

"Slicing pain….my head. My eyes." she managed before another groan escaped, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Kurt reached for the call button, pressing it before turning his attention back to his wife, pressing a kiss into her hair. "Just hang on."

A couple of minutes later, a nurse appeared. Her initial indignation at seeing Kurt on the bed disappeared when she noticed Jane's agony.

"Could you turn the ceiling light off, please? Her headaches are back." Kurt found himself whispering, trying to keep his voice down, so as not to aggravate Jane's symptoms. He felt her warm, struggling breaths against his skin.

"Of course."

The room became instantly darker, and Kurt found himself breathing a little easier now. "Can you give her something for the pain?" He gave the nurse a pleading look, feeling helpless that he couldn't ease Jane's torment.

The nurse nodded. "I'll talk to the doctor on call."

"Thank you."

Kurt didn't move, opting to stay on the bed and hold her. "It's gonna be okay."

"Kurt…God, it hurts."

At her pained plea, he felt something inside him break a little bit more: seeing her so frail, so vulnerable. She no longer even tried to convince him she was fine, but turned to him for comfort. "I've got you." He held her close, stroking her hair as he felt her tremble as the pain assaulted her. "It won't be long now, you'll get something for the pain soon."

Thankfully, the nurse returned a couple of minutes later. She placed a glass of what looked like sparkling water on the bedside table, before giving Kurt a soft, reassuring smile when he looked at the glass dubiously.

"That's a soluble painkiller. It should work a little faster and ease her symptoms." She took Jane's chart and wrote something on it. "Just press the buzzer if you need anything else."

Somehow, the nurse's reassuring and friendly manner managed to assuage Kurt's worry a little. "Thank you."

As the nurse left, he kissed Jane's temple. "Hey, can you sit up for me a little?" He coaxed her.

Jane moaned in pain, but sat up slightly and leaned against him as he helped her drink the medicine.

"There you go." He put the glass on the table and went to get up from the bed, when she grasped his shirt.

"Don't go." She whispered, her eyes shining with vulnerability.

"But you'll be more comfortable if–"

"Please."

That little word stole the energy behind his well-meaning explanation. He wouldn't deny her anything, especially when she needed him.

So, he settled back onto the bed, and gathered Jane against him. He lay there, murmuring sweet nothings to her as the drugs chased her pain away. His hand stroked soothing patterns on her back and he could feel her relax into his embrace. Sometime later he glanced down, only to find her asleep against his chest. He wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, but he didn't mind. Jane was alive and sleeping peacefully in his arms.


	12. The Porcelain God

Here's another badthingshappenbingo fic, the square is Appendicitis. Timeline is sometime in late s4. This fic is for my dear fellow whumper, eblonde, who submitted this prompt to me and has begged me to do it (even though sick fics aren't my strong suit). So here it is, I hope you like it, my friend 😊.

Given the topic, a small trigger warning for vomiting (emeto), but I can assure you it's nothing too graphic.

A big thanks again to my beta, Heather.

Please let me know what you think!

* * *

**The Porcelain God**

Jane groaned in frustration as the shrill beeping of the alarm penetrated her sleep-muddled brain. She tightened her hold around Kurt, burrowing into his chest as he reached to turn off the offending symphony of sound.

"Ugh, do we have to get up?" She grumbled, having had another insomnia-plagued night that had kept her awake on and off.

She glanced up, meeting Kurt's sympathetic look as his thumb brushed her cheek.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"It feels like I only slept a couple of hours."

Kurt squeezed her closer, pressing a quick kiss into her hair. "I'll hop in the shower first, and then get started on breakfast. You can sleep in a bit longer."

With that, he got up and headed to the bathroom. Jane snuggled into the warm spot he'd vacated, deciding to try and sleep for a few extra minutes.

* * *

Having taken a quick shower and gotten dressed, Jane padded into the kitchen, her steaming mug of coffee sitting on the breakfast bar, waiting for her. She wrapped her fingers around the mug, its warmth seeping into her hands as she pinched her eyes shut and exhaled slowly.

"You okay?" Kurt asked, tilting his head as he gave her an assessing look.

"Yeah, just feeling a bit queasy."

"I told you, you shouldn't have eaten those leftovers last night," he teased her gently. Growing more serious again, he stepped up to her, a flash of worry visible on his face as he lay his hands on her shoulders. "Do you need to stay home? There's nothing pressing at work today so, if you need to…" he trailed off.

God, she loved him. He was always willing to put her first. She smiled at him, a feeling of warmth spreading in her chest for his attentiveness. "It's just a bit of an upset stomach. I'll be fine….but thank you."

Kurt kissed her forehead softly before pulling back. "Always."

* * *

"_Maybe I should've stayed at home_." Jane thought briefly as she grabbed the toilet seat and dry-heaved painfully again. Her stomach cramped, as she wiped cold sweat from her forehead and slumped against the wall of the restroom stall. Her breakfast was long gone, but her stomach still churned as she inhaled a long breath, trying to get her breathing back to normal.

Standing on unsteady legs, she flushed the toilet and slowly made her way to the sink, rinsing her mouth and gargling, hoping to get rid of the burning sensation in her esophagus, courtesy of losing her stomach contents. She splashed some cold water on her face before reaching for a handful of paper towels and drying her hands and face. Glancing at the mirror, she saw her own drawn, pale reflection staring back.

"Ugh." Jane shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as she felt a stab of pain in her abdomen. She waited for it to pass and headed out.

"Jane." She had barely stepped out of the restroom when she heard Kurt's worried voice from behind her. Turning, she saw him step up to her, his eyes reflecting his concern as her reached out to brush her cheek. She closed her eyes, taking comfort in his tender touch.

"Are you okay? You look pale," he noted softly, his forehead furrowing.

"I…" Jane cleared her raw throat. "I feel nauseous." Her eyes met his concerned ones, resignation weighing on her shoulders. "I think I have food poisoning. I threw up."

Kurt breathed a sympathetic sigh, shaking his head sadly. "Oh, Jane."

She gave a sarcastic laugh and smiled at him tiredly. "This is where you get to say "I told you so."

He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, murmuring "This isn't something I want to be right about."

Another stab of pain hit Jane, and she leaned into him, laying her cheek on his shoulder for a moment, the worn and soft fabric of his shirt comforting against her skin. She breathed in his scent, trying to will her growing discomfort away.

They stood there, quiet, for a moment before Kurt spoke. "You should go home. Rest."

Jane lifted her head from his shoulder abruptly. "I can't. What if–".

He shook his head, interrupting her. "We have _nothin_g major planned for today. And if something does come up, I can handle it with Reade and Zapata." He gave her a loving look, his voice softening. "I can see you're not feeling well. Please go home and get some rest."

Jane knew he had a point, and to be fair, she did feel like the nausea was getting worse. She nodded. "Okay. I'll take the subway home."

Kurt smiled, stroking her cheek." Alright. Send me a text when you get home, okay?"

* * *

Jane was jolted awake by a sharp sensation of pain. She gasped, breathing gingerly until the worst edge dulled into a throbbing. She groaned, drawing her hand over her face. She had texted Kurt almost an hour ago that she was home safely, but she had battled nausea almost the entire way home, and soon after texting Kurt, she had visited the porcelain God again. Then she had made her way to bed and dozed off.

But now her stomach was churning again. Jane closed her eyes, inhaling deeply through her nose as she tried to get the feeling to pass. The throbbing in her abdomen was starting to feel like a cramp, and she got up, making it to the bathroom just in time. Her stomach roiled, but almost nothing came out, leaving her dry-heaving. She reached out with a shaking hand to flush the toilet, the small movement causing a white flash of agony, and she sank on the floor, wrapping her arms around her torso. The pain pulsed again. Jane pressed her forehead against the floor, enjoying the coolness of the tiles. She hadn't felt this sick in ages.

She lay there for a while, hoping for the piercing sensation to fade. She ground her teeth, groaning against the intensifying torment. Standing on shaky legs, she grabbed the edge of the vanity for support. She felt sweaty, and generally disgusted after throwing up.

"_Maybe a hot shower will help," she_ mused.

Jane reached into the shower and turned it on. Waiting for the water to warm, she undressed in slow, measured movements, trying to keep the increasing anguish at bay while fighting a sense of vertigo lurking around the edges of her consciousness. She put her clothes into the laundry hamper and got in the shower. She sighed in relief, feeling the warm water massage her shoulders and body. However, it didn't seem the shower was doing anything to ease the growing agony. She shut off the water, and wrapped a towel around herself before slowly shuffling into the bedroom. Feeling flustered, Jane decided to dress lightly, grabbing a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Pulling the t-shirt over her head, her knees almost gave out at the pain. It was like something was eviscerating her. She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing through the fiery torture gouging at her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she picked up her phone from the bedside table.

Jane unlocked it and had Kurt's number ready on the screen. She was waging a battle inside her mind. "_It's just food poisoning. You can handle this, you've had worse. There's no need to warry Kurt. He'll be home in a few hours anyway._

About to put her phone away, a tearing sensation in her abdomen made the decision for her. She doubled over from the pain, gasping for air as a tear escaped her eye. She pressed the green button and lifted the phone to her ear.

After a few rings, he answered.

"Jane? Is everything okay?"

Just the sound of his voice was like a soothing balm, giving her a small measure of comfort.

"Kurt…I…" She gasped.

She heard the alarm in his voice. "What's wrong?"

Jane groaned audibly. "I…I don't think this is food poisoning. The pain…it's… it's only getting worse." She swallowed thickly, releasing a shuddering breath, and did something that was very unlike her. "Can you…can you please come home, Kurt?" Her voice was brittle.

She didn't know if she imagined it, but his voice sounded even softer when he replied. "I'll just let Patterson and the team know. I'll see you soon."

"Thank you." With that, she disconnected the call, and squeezed her eyes shut to ride out another wave of torment that assaulted her.

After the pain had subsided a little, she noticed how thirsty she was. Maybe having a bit of water or ginger ale would help settle her stomach.

Getting up from the bed very carefully, Jane slowly made her way into the hallway and, leaning against the wall, she proceeded to the kitchen. Almost by the kitchen island, her pain spiked, making black spots dance in her field of vision, and then everything went dark.

* * *

"Jane?" Kurt called out to her cautiously when he pushed the door open, pulling the key out of the lock. He had driven home as fast as he could, worried at how Jane had sounded. She sounded distressed, clearly in pain. It wasn't like Jane at all.

Opening the door fully, his fears were confirmed. His blood ran cold as he saw her, sprawled unmoving on the floor. "Jane!"

He rushed to her, his heartbeat loud in his ears as he dropped to his knees next to her. "Jane! Oh, no….Jane!" His words drew no response and his alarm only ratcheted up as he brushed her forehead. She was burning up.

He pulled one of the dining room table's chairs closer and propped her legs against it. Soon, she groaned quietly.

Kurt forced himself to calm down, stroking her cheek with his fingers." Jane, hey. You're okay…open your eyes for me."

Her face twisted and she cried out, but forced her eyes open. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled gasp. Suddenly her entire body tensed, before she tried to curl up into a fetal position.

Something was badly wrong. This definitely was not food poisoning. Kurt dug his phone out of his pocket, fumbling with the keypad lock. "Where does it hurt? Is it your stomach?" He asked her as he dialed 911.

"Yeah…" Jane forced out a reply.

"Anywhere else?"

She shook her head.

"Okay, just keep breathing."

As he talked with the dispatcher and gave the necessary information for an ambulance, he ran his hand up and down her back, hoping to soothe Jane's agony. Her breathing was labored, heat radiating off her skin.

She gave him a tortured look. "God, it hurts!"

"Oh, my love." He wished he could do something to ease her torment. As gently as her could, he lifted her into his arms and stood, murmuring an apology into her hair as she screamed as the movement was too much.

Sitting down on the couch, Kurt held her close. "Help's on the way. "

She sagged against him, burying her head into the crook of his neck, a whimpering sob escaping her lips.

He kissed her temple lightly. "Shh…..it's okay. Everything's gonna be okay."

She trembled in his embrace, his heart clenching with the thought that he was unable to ease her suffering.

He nuzzled her, rocking her gently and tightening his hold as she sought his touch, trying to press herself ever closer to him.

"Just hold on." He whispered reassurances to her, while silently praying for the EMTs to get there fast.

* * *

Jane's squeezed her eyes shut, her breath escaping as pained gasps as the EMTs wheeled her into a cubicle in the ER. She tried to turn to find a comfortable position but it was only endless torment. It was like she was sweating bullets.

A few minutes later, she had changed into a hospital gown with the help of a nurse. As she tossed and turned on the table, trying to get comfortable, a man about her age entered the room. He was slightly shorter than Kurt, with thick brown hair and brown eyes. His tone was kind, and somehow reassuring to Jane as he spoke "Hello, Ms Doe. I'm Doctor Rove. May I call you Jane? "

"Yeah." She nodded with difficulty. It felt like someone was using a carving knife in her abdomen. _God, I just want the pain to go away._

He leaned over her, lifting her gown, and placing a stethoscope on her abdomen. "I hear you've had some nausea and then stomach pain. When did it start?"

Jane groaned again. She felt like someone was stabbing her continuously, making it difficult to think straight. "Uhm, I..I felt kind of queasy in the morning. But it went away for a while, until I threw up."

Dr Rove stood beside her, attentively listening to her, asking questions and ruling out causes, as she stopped when another bout of excruciating pain pounced her and she struggled to find the words to go through the rest of the events that day, ending with arriving in the ER.

"And how is the pain now on a scale of 1 to 10? Has it eased up at all?"

Jane shook her head with difficulty. "No…it's…it's getting worse. It's maybe an 8," she gasped.

The doctor nodded, his expression serious. "I suspect you might be having appendicitis, but we need to run some tests and exams to confirm it. We'll draw some blood and examine you. Then we'll get you started on some pain medication. I'll go order the tests and I'll be right back, okay?" He gave her a sympathetic smile.

Jane gave a weak nod. She closed her eyes, hoping to forget the pain but to no avail. She was getting desperate; she could feel the relentless agony with every beat of her heart._ Where's Kurt?_ She needed him right now. She turned her head, making eye contact with the nurse who had drawn her blood, and was now setting up her IV. "Where's my husband? Can you please get him?"

The nurse was a man in his late fifties perhaps: his hair was gray and he had glasses perched on his nose. He reminded Jane of the stereotypical image of a grandfather. He shook his head gently at Jane.

"He's not here yet. But the clerks know where you are, and they'll direct him here as soon as he asks for you. I'm sure he'll be here soon. But if it makes you feel better, I can go check real quick." He gave her a conspiratorial wink.

"Thank you," she replied gratefully.

Alone again, she whimpered and curled up into a ball, trying to find at least some relief.

Soon, Dr Rove returned.

"Okay, Jane. Now, this might get uncomfortable as I need to do a physical exam. Can you straighten out on the exam table for me?"

With some difficulty, she managed to do as the doctor asked.

"Now, I'm going to be pressing down on your belly. Tell me if you feel pain when I do that, okay?"

Jane swallowed thickly and closed her eyes, trying to breathe evenly.

When the doctor pressed down on the left side of her stomach, she shrieked, white flashes of pain dancing behind her eyelids.

The doctor apologized, but it wasn't the doctor's voice that registered in her brain.

"Jane!"

_His voice. _Jane's eyes shot open, partially from the anguish, partially from recognition. "Kurt!" She called, reaching for him in desperation as she saw him enter the cubicle.

A moment later, she found herself wrapped in a tight but gentle embrace as he stepped next to her. She buried her face in his chest, a pitiful, broken cry bursting from her lips_._ He murmured something into her hair, but she was too agonized to decipher it, feeling his comforting touch and familiar warmth instead. She dimly registered Kurt speaking to the doctor, but was too distressed to follow the conversation.

"I'm here, Jane." She heard his tender words in her ear as the worst pain subsided. "Shhh…I'm here now." His hand threaded her hair, the gesture soothing her. She wrapped her arm around him, needing him close.

Dr Rove gave them a moment, but soon spoke up, his voice carrying a genuinely apologetic note. "I'm sorry Jane, but I need to finish the exam."

She just wanted the pain to stop. Kurt helped her lie back down, kneeling next to the exam table so their faces were level. She whimpered, anticipating the worsening agony.

Kurt gazed at her lovingly, his fingers' touch feather-light on her cheek. "It's okay…Just breathe. It's okay." He kept up his gentle caresses, murmuring soft words of comfort as the doctor continued his examination. She bit her lip against the pain, her eyes shut tightly, but a few silent tears still slipped free. Kurt wiped them away, his touch anchoring her.

"Okay, Jane. One more exam and then it's over. I'm going to tap the sole of your foot here, okay? If it hurts, it helps us rule out other causes."

As soon as Dr Rove tapped the sole of her foot hard, her world exploded in agony, causing her to recoil from the touch and wail, burying her face into Kurt's neck.

"Shh…" He soothed her. "It's over now. It's okay."

Dr Rove scribbled something into her chart, and turned to her and Kurt. "Hopefully, the morphine will take effect soon, so you will rest a bit easier. As soon as we get the CT scan done we can determine the best treatment option. We should have you in CT in less than an hour. Now, I'll need to go see other patients. Do you have any questions?"

Jane shook her head slowly, absolutely exhausted.

"No." Kurt reached out his hand. "Thank you, doctor."

Dr Rove smiled at Jane. "Try to rest. You're in good hands with the nurses here."

* * *

It had been about 40 minutes since Dr Rove had left them to wait for the CT scan, but it felt much longer to Kurt. He cast a worried look down at his wife on the exam table. They had given her morphine to combat the pain, but it did little to ease Jane's agony, and she had refused to take any other analgesics. Her beautiful features bore a pained grimace, her jaw taut and her discomfort accentuated by the feverish flush of her cheeks. Fortunately, at least her fever appeared to be under control.

Jane writhed on the bed, letting out a whimpering cry. Kurt felt his heart shatter into smaller pieces still, watching the love of his life in such pain, and being so helpless to ease it. He reached out to gingerly stroke her forehead.

"Oh, Jane. You're hurting. Wouldn't you consider taking the other painkillers?" He pleaded with her, desperate to help her.

"No," Jane ground out tiredly. "If morphine doesn't help, then…then they…won't work either."

Standing beside her, he saw the despair reflected in her green eyes. She did not say anything, trying to put on a brave face, but he knew her too well, seeing past the bravado.

He sat down next to her and gingerly pulled her to his side, snaking his arms around her. "Oh, my love." He could feel the heat and exhaustion radiating off Jane as she pressed her cheek into his chest, her breath a shuddering exhalation. He wished he could take all her pain away. "Ssshh…it's gonna be okay." He held her, feeling her relax ever so slightly against him as he kept up the steady stream of murmured assurances. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt, speaking his name pleadingly as her body reminded her things were far from okay.

"I'm here, Jane. I've got you."

He felt her entire body tense in his embrace, heard how she tried to contain the scream bubbling to the surface. Glancing at the monitors next to the bed, he saw her heartrate and respiration climbing.

Jane screamed, tears escaping her closed eyes as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"Shhh…won't be long now. They'll get you to the CT soon. Just keep breathing, Jane." He stroked her hair in an attempt to soothe her.

A few seconds later, he felt her go limp against him. She was completely silent.

"Jane?" No response. "Jane!"

He lay her back down, trying to rouse her, but to no avail.

"_She must have passed out from the pain," _he thought to himself. Before he had a chance to think what it meant, alarms started blaring in the machines, her vitals deteriorating. He strode to the door, shouting for someone to come help.

Soon, the room was filled with doctors and nurses, speaking in medical terms he didn't understand, explaining something about not having time to wait, that she needed surgery.

It was like the moment with the ZIP seizure all over again. By the time his brain grasped what had happened, he found himself standing alone in the room, his only companion the ice-cold fear in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

_Cardboard_. That's the first thing Jane's fuzzy mind realized. Her mouth was completely dry, and tasted of cardboard. That, and some medical disinfectant. A low croak rose from somewhere in her throat.

"Hey…"

Kurt's tender whisper permeated the fog in her brain, the light touch of his hand on her forehead soothingly familiar. She managed to force her eyes open a fraction, his features becoming clearer after a couple of seconds.

She shivered against the chill that gripped her body. Kurt cupped her cheek gently, and she leaned into the touch, seeking his warmth.

"It's okay, Jane."

She tried to move to get into a more comfortable position but groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as her movement was checked by a lance of pain cutting across her stomach.

"Shh…lie still." Kurt helped her settle more comfortably on the pillows and tucked the blanket firmly around her.

As the worst of the pain ebbed to a dull throb, Jane opened her eyes again, meeting Kurt's blue irises gazing at her in concern.

She tried to talk, but her mouth was so dry and her tongue so thick that forming words, much less speaking, was impossible.

"Water," she croaked.

His eyes shone with sympathy and concern when he spoke, his tone apologetic as he stroked her hair. "You can't have any water yet, I'm sorry. But I can give you some ice chips if you want?"

She nodded her reply.

As Kurt carefully spooned some ice into her mouth, she sighed, closing her eyes. The ice melted, its coolness giving some relief, soothing her sore throat and relieving the parched sensation.

"Better?" Jane could hear the gentle smile in Kurt's question as he kept caressing her hair lovingly.

"Yeah." She lay still for a moment, taking inventory of how she felt. She felt like she could speak a little, her throat was sore and her body ached. All she remembered was being in excruciating pain, and then disjointed flashes of figures hovering over her, asking her to do this or that. But she had been too tired to answer them. She swallowed thickly, her voice coming out as a hoarse whisper as she spoke. "What happened? All I remember is sudden agony, and then nothing."

Kurt sat down beside her, taking her hand in his. The repetitive motion of his thumb tracing her knuckles reassured her, easing the feeling of anxiety in the pit of her stomach.

When he didn't immediately answer, she opened her eyes, trying to read his expression. He sighed, giving her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

His voice was quiet, when he finally spoke. "Your appendix burst, Jane. You passed out in my arms, and I couldn't wake you. Then they rushed you to surgery. That was six hours ago." He looked away for a moment, his eyes shimmering with tears when he looked up at her again. "You scared the hell out of me."

Jane squeezed his hand weakly, fighting the tiredness. "Sorry."

He leaned over her and pressed his lips to her forehead. He stayed there for a moment, breathing her in. "It's okay, now." Sitting back up he continued. "They were able to remove your appendix, and have you on some pretty heavy IV antibiotics for a few days. It should help with the infection, but they said they'll need to monitor you closely for sepsis."

She winced, her body letting her know that things were far from okay. Her mind was all foggy, processing the information was too much of an effort. "When can I go home?" She asked, sinking against the pillows behind her back.

Kurt chuckled, his fingers caressing her cheek. His touch was tender and comforting and she leaned into it. She needed him close.

"Not for a few days at least," he explained gently. "Right now, you need to get better. Rest, Jane."

With Kurt's loving touches and his reassuring presence, Jane's tired body soon succumbed to healing sleep again.

* * *

It had been five days since the surgery. Jane had been allowed to drink small amounts of water the next day after the surgery, and now she was at least allowed to have soft foods, so she wasn't completely reliant on IVs anymore.

It was dinnertime when Kurt arrived at the hospital from the NYO. After the second day, Jane had convinced him to go home to sleep at least, assuring him that she would be fine for the night. He had gone to see her in the morning, but had to go to the office to try and do some paperwork. He had managed to get it done and attended a meeting with the team in the lab until they had told him to go see Jane. There was nothing urgent going on and his mind was clearly preoccupied with things other than work.

He entered her room, smiling at her. She looked a lot better than he had a couple of days ago. She had the food tray in front of her, and she was surfing the channels absentmindedly.

"Hey." He leaned in, giving her a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Hey." She smiled at him. "How was your day? How are things at the NYO?"

"Things are good. Calm."

Jane gave him a wry grin. "Why is it that things are calm when I'm not there?"

Kurt chuckled. "Maybe the bad guys need a vacation too?"

"Yeah."

He observed her, taking a seat in the chair beside her bed. She had hardly touched her food, she just kept picking at the mashed potatoes on her plate.

He brushed her arm lightly. "You gotta eat before the food gets cold."

Jane's shoulders slumped a fraction, her reply dull. "I'm not hungry."

Kurt sighed, closing his eyes for a second, a chill running down his spine. _We've been here before._

She seemed to have realized the same thing, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. The look on her face was contrite. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I didn't mean to worry you. It's just that…"

"Just what?" he inquired softly after she lapsed into silence, almost as if gathering her thoughts.

Jane let out a frustrated breath, her voice tightening with irritation. "I'm so sick of being stuck in here."

He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her against him, speaking into her hair. "I know. But the doctors want to keep you here for a couple of more days to make sure the antibiotics keep the infection in check and you don't develop sepsis."

"I'm just sick of walking the halls here, of this bland mush they call food." She gave him a plaintive look. "I want to go home, Kurt. I want some real food."

"Yeah, I know. But you'll have to contend with this a couple of more days." He nodded at her plate.

Jane groaned into his chest in exaggerated frustration.

"But tell you what."

"Hmm?" She murmured against him.

He squeezed her a fraction closer, feeling the warmth of her body as she melted into his embrace. "When the doctors clear you to go home, and you can resume a normal diet, I'll cook you anything you want."

Jane looked up at him, her cheek pillowed on his chest and smiled. "Anything?"

Kurt nodded, raising his eyebrow in silent question.

She laughed. "Don't worry, I won't ask you to make vegan lasagna. But do you think you could make your vegan Red Curry?"

He kissed her forehead softly. "I think we can do that."


End file.
